The Scales of Remnant
by Snowyherobrine
Summary: My own twist on pokeman1280's, A Rose's Scales, with his OC, alongside my own OCs. Ruby finds a strange red stone in the Emerald Forest, unaware that it will change her life and the lives of those around her forever.
1. OC Info

**My 'OCs' and details them. **

**If a weapon is in [ ]s then it is stored in their requip space.**

* * *

Zach Deeg:

Symbol: Crossed Energy Sword and Assault Rifle underneath an Elite Skull with the Radioactive sign on the Forehead of the Skull, Location of symbol: Above the Visor, Color: Dark Grey

Species: Human

Born: June 23, 2003, Indiana, United States of America

Hair: Black

Eyes: Silver

Height: 7' 2" (7' 6" in armor)

Personality: Approachable, but crazy. One of the few SPARTAN IIs with any personality. Treats combat as a game on many occasions, but can take combat deadly seriously as well. If going against him, hope and pray he is treating it as a game and not deadly seriously. Has ripped out people's skulls and beat them to death with them. Easiest way to get him to take it seriously is to involve slavery in any form of the word. Is known for **_extreme_** brutality.

Armor: Mjolnir VI GEN II with B312's knife on top left of chest plate and capable of holding three energy swords on each shoulder, Color: Black, Visor: Black

Utility: Tactical/Hardcase

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x ARC-920 railgun, 1x BR85HB Battle Rifle, 1x Hydra MLRS, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M319 grenade launcher, 1x M363 sticky detonator, 1x M395 DMR, 1x M41 SPNKr rocket launcher, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x M6 Spartan Laser, 1x M7057 flamethrower, 1x M739 SAW, 1x M45E shotgun, 1x MA5D assault rifle, 1x SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle, [1x M134 Minigun chambered in 40mm], 2x custom Type-1 energy swords (black handles and blades), 2x Type-2 gravity hammers, [1x Type-25 Brute shot], [1x Type-25 plasma rifle], [1x Type-25 Spiker], [1x Type-31 needle rifle], [1x Type-50 concussion rifle], [1x Type-52 focus rifle], [1x Type-52 Mauler], [1x Type-52 plasma launcher], [1x Type-53 plasma caster], 1x Type-54 plasma pistol, [1x Type-55 storm rifle], 1x Type-56 needler, [1x Type-57 carbine], [1x Type-58 fuel rod cannon], 1x Z-110 Boltshot, [1x Z-130 Suppressor], [1x Z-180 Scattershot], [1x Z-250 lightrifle], [1x Z-390 incineration cannon], [1x Z-750 binary rifle], 1x Black Death, 1x Stygian Iron katana with a mono-atomic blade known as the Demon Blade, 1x wakizashi or whatever the hell the mini katana's called known as the Demon's Bane, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives (one of which was B-312s), and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A black UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed American Flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in crimson red, and his symbol on the back in white, a pair of black cargo pants (the ones with all the pockets), a black belt with the UNSC symbol embossed on the buckle, a black armored jacket, and black steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x BR85HB Battle Rifle, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M45E shotgun, 1x M6G Magnum, 2x custom Type-1 energy swords (black handles and blades), 2x Type-2 gravity hammers, 1x Black Death, 1x Demon Blade, 1x Demon's Bane, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives (one of which was B-312s), and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)

Semblance: Teleportation

Magics: Universal

Notes: Son of Hephaestus. The Maliki and the Sephiroth. SPARTAN 203.

* * *

Sakura Rylin:

Symbol: Tornado, Color: Black, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Cat Faunus, Trait: White Cat Ears

Born: January 9, 2253, Mistral, Remnant, grew up in New York, United States of America

Hair: Shoulder Length White

Eyes: Storm Grey

Height: 6' 9" (7' 1" in armor)

Personality: She is extremely laid back, but can be vicious on the battlefield. She is known to swiftly tear through hordes of enemies in seconds. She acts slightly like a cat, mainly with loving fish and being easily distracted by laser pointers of either red or green light.

Armor: Recon, Color: White, Visor: Sky Blue

Utility: Tactical/Trauma Kit

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Morte Necemi, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x M395 DMR, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-54 plasma pistol], [1x Type-55 storm rifle], [1x Type-57 Carbine], [1x Z-110 Boltshot], [1x Z-250 lightrifle], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A white UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed American flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in light sky-blue, and her symbol on the back in black, a pair of sky-blue jean shorts (knee length), a gray belt with a white owl buckle, and white steel toe tennis shoe style boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Morte Necemi, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x M395 DMR, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)

Semblance: Mach 10

Magics: Holy Fire Dragon Slayer (Second Generation), Archive, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Daughter of Athena. SPARTAN 223.

* * *

Percy Jackson:

Symbol: Trident, Color: Sea Foam Green, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Human

Born: August 18, 2379, New York, United States of America

Hair: Black

Eyes: Sea Green

Height: 6' 10" (7' 2" in armor)

Personality: He has a joking nature, but can instantly switch demeanors to be extremely lethal. He is kind to his friends and even to many strangers, just don't piss him off.

Armor: Indomitable, Color: Blue, Visor: Silver

Utility: UA/NXRA

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Riptide, 1x Whirlpool, 1x M45E shotgun, 1x M319 grenade launcher, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-25 Brute Shot], [1x Type-50 concussion rifle], [1x Type-56 needler], [1x Z-130 Suppressor], [1x Z-180 Scattershot], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A blue UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed American flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in sea green, and his symbol on the back in yellow, a pair of sea green jeans, a dark blue belt with a blue trident buckle, and gray steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Riptide, 1x Whirlpool, 1x M45E shotgun, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

Semblance: Invisibility

Magics: Water Dragon Slayer, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Poseidon. SPARTAN 239.

* * *

Gregor Wolfe:

Symbol: Wolf, Color: Grey, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Human

Born: September 19, 2409, Germany

Hair: Dirty Blonde

Eyes: Blue Green

Height: 6' 11" (7' 3" in armor)

Personality: He is extremely militaristic in nature, but is more like a human being when around friends.

Armor: CQB, Color: Olive Green, Visor: Blue

Utility: Tactical/Trauma Kit

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Hammer and Anvil, 1x SPNKr rocket launcher, 1x M739 SAW, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-25 plasma rifle], [1x Type-55 storm rifle], [1x Z-130 Suppressor], [1x Z-250 lightrifle], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: An olive green UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed German flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in lime green, and his symbol on the back in lavender purple, a pair of camo cargo pants, a green belt with a lime green boar head buckle, and olive green steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Hammer and Anvil, 1x M739 SAW, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Petty Officer First Class (PO1)

Semblance: Outnumbered, I think not

Magics: Rune, Poison Dragon Slayer (Second Generation), Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Ares. SPARTAN 249.

* * *

David Deeg:

Symbol: Bullet, Color: Black, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Human

Born: January 22, 1999, Maryland, United States of America

Hair: Black

Eyes: Teal

Height: 7' 0" (7' 4" in armor)

Personality: A jokester at heart, he is extremely protective of his friends. If anyone tries to even remotely pick on one of his friends, they can expect to receive a sniper round very, very soon.

Armor: EOD, Color: Teal, Visor: Black

Utility: Tactical/Hard Case

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Avenger, 1x M6 Spartan Laser, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x M363 sticky detonator, 1x SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-52 focus rifle], [1x Type-52 plasma launcher], [1x Z-250 lightrifle], [1x Z-750 binary rifle], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A teal UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed American flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in cyan, and his symbol on the back in orange, a pair of olive-green jeans, a black belt with a blue crosshairs buckle, and black steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Avenger, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)

Semblance: Copycat

Magics: Lightning Demon Slayer, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Hephaestus. The Maliki. SPARTAN 199.

* * *

Momaw Nadon:

Symbol: Lightning Bolt, Color: Yellow, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Human

Born: May 12, 2198, Ireland

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Electric Blue

Height: 6' 7" (6' 11" in armor)

Personality: He is extremely comfortable in the sky, but put him on a boat, no way. He is constantly cracking jokes, even during life or death situations.

Armor: Helljumper, Color: Emerald Green, Visor: Silver

Utility: Tactical/Trauma Kit

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Skull Crusher, 1x SPNKr rocket launcher, 1x M6 Spartan Laser, 1x M739 SAW, 1x ARC-920 Railgun, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x modified M247H Machine gun (no shield, heat shroud, seemingly infinite ammo), 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-52 plasma launcher], [1x Type-55 storm rifle], [1x Type-58 fuel rod cannon], [1x Z-130 Suppressor], [1x Z-390 incineration cannon], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: An emerald green UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed Irish flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in sky blue, and his symbol on the back in deep blue, a pair of emerald green jean shorts, a sky-blue belt with a yellow lightning bolt buckle, and olive green steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Skull Crusher, 1x M739 SAW, 1x ARC-920 Railgun, 1x M6G Magnum, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

Semblance: NOVA

Magics: Iron God Slayer, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Zeus. SPARTAN 218.

* * *

Nick Deeg:

Symbol: Smash Ball, Color: Blue, Location: Above the Visor

Species: Human

Born: August 3, 2004, Indiana, United States of America

Hair: Earth Red hair

Eyes: Brown

Height: 6' 9" (7' 1" in armor)

Personality: He is a master strategist, capable of making plans that actually survive first contact, and more often than not work. He is less than serious around friends despite his seriousness in the field.

Armor: Technician, Color: Red, Secondary: Maroon, Visor: Gold

Utility: Tactical/Hard Case

Typical Armament (in armor): 2/1x Revenge, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x BR85HB battle rifle, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-31 needle rifle], [1x Type-52 Mauler], [1x Type-57 carbine], [1x Z-110 Boltshot], [1x Z-250 lightrifle], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A crimson red UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed American flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in gold, and his symbol on the back in bright red, a pair of blue jeans, a maroon belt with a golden colored Smash Ball buckle, and light brown steel toe cowboy style boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 2/1x Revenge, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M6G Magnum, 1x BR85HB battle rifle, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)

Semblance: Freedom's Rings

Magics: Ice Dragon Slayer, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Hephaestus. The Sephiroth. SPARTAN 204.

* * *

Ponda Bada:

Symbol: Punisher Skull, Color: Black, Location: On the Visor

Species: Human

Born: December 2, 2365, Australia

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 6' 7" (6' 11" in armor)

Personality: He is a joker with a somewhat dark sense of humor. He is not the most social of people with people outside of his friend group. Many are unnerved just being in the same room as him.

Armor: Wrath, Color: Dark Gray, Visor: Silver

Utility: Tactical/Hard Case

Typical Armament (in armor): 1x Τιμωρία (Greek for Retribution), 1x Wakizashi, seemingly infinite number of Shuriken, 1x MA5D assault rifle, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M6G Magnum, 2x Type-1 energy swords, [1x Type-54 plasma pistol], [1x Type-55 storm rifle], [1x Type-56 needler], [1x Z-110 Boltshot], [1x Z-130 Suppressor], 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Non-Armored Combat outfit: A gray UNSC T-Shirt with a reversed Australian flag on the left shoulder, the Fairy Tail emblem on the right shoulder in black, and his symbol on the back in white, a pair of gray cargo pants, a black belt with a gray skull buckle, and black steel toe combat boots.

Typical Armament (non-armored): 1x Τιμωρία, 1x Wakizashi, seemingly infinite Shuriken, 1x MA5D assault rifle, 1x M20 SMG, 1x M6G Magnum, 2x Type-1 energy swords, 2x M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades, 2x Type-1 plasma grenades, 2x Type-2 spike grenades, 2x Type-3 firebomb, 2x Z-040 pulse grenades, 2x Z-400 splinter grenades, 5x Combat knives, and 30x throwing knives.

Rank: Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

Semblance: Wobbuffet

Magics: Telepathy, Earth Dragon Slayer, Slight Re-quip

Notes: Son of Hades. Took 9x 12.7mm rounds to the throat, leaving him mute. SPARTAN 235.


	2. The Spark

**This was done WITH pokeman1280's permission, so don't rage at me, damnit.**

**Also, yes this is pretty much just a copy-paste here, but chapters will be different from the original ones, for the most part anyways, after this one.**

**Also, if you haven't heard of pokeman1280, then go check him out.**

**I do not own RWBY or Inheritance Cycle. Hell, I don't even really own the original idea.**

* * *

Friday, July 31

POV: Aaron

Dragon Rider Aaron Benson knelt at the edge of the large pool in the cave he and his dragon were hiding in. Three years on the run, and it came down to this. Aaron found a scroll the day before containing a spell that could transport him and his dragon out of Alagaësia and away from the traitor and the Forsworn. The only problem was that the location on the other side was different every time. The spell might just save the entire species of dragons.

Aaron turned to look at his forest green dragon, Nalia Quickwing. Five years ago, Nalia hatched for Aaron in the city of Teirm. The two of them were a couple of years into their training and were finally trusted with couriering dragon eggs to various cities to find new Riders.

On their first run though, the traitor, Galbatorix, attacked Vroengard. The home base for the Riders was destroyed and almost all members of the Order were killed. Instead of flying back to assist the elves and remaining Riders in Ilirea, Aaron and Nalia took their teacher's advice and fled north. They had the last remaining eggs, and had to keep them safe.

The forest of Du Weldenvarden and the elves provided a buffer zone that kept the traitor and his minions away for years. That all changed though when Kialandí and his dragon entered the area a week ago. Neither Aaron nor Nalia left their cave, not even to eat. If they were notices, Aaron was fully confident he and Nalia could hold off the invaders with their minds, but when it came to a physical fight, the junior pair would be routed.

"Any sign of them?" Aaron asked his soul mate.

_They're on the horizon. They haven't spotted us yet, but I don't want to be here when they do._ Nalia looked her Rider in the eyes. _Cast the spell._

Aaron nodded and set to work. He laid out the scroll by the water and started chanting in the Ancient Language. The spell was long and complicated. If even one word was misplaced, it could spell disaster for the pair. In comparison to other spells, this particular one didn't take much energy at all considering the implications. However, that didn't mean that it was as easy as splitting a boulder in half. Several minutes into casting the spell, Nalia growled. _We've been spotted! Hurry up!_ Aaron obliged, speeding up his chanting as much as he dared.

As he finished chanting, the water started to swirl. As it spun, the pool turned a purplish color. Aaron kicked a rock into the pool, but the expected splash never came. "It's ready," he announced. He grabbed the scroll containing the spell and climbed into Nalia's saddle. After he strapped in his legs, Aaron put the scroll in a relatively empty saddlebag, then checked two others for their precious cargo. Sure enough, three dragon eggs sat in the bags.

Aaron patted the neck of his dragon. "Let's go." Nalia didn't wait around. She jumped into the portal…

…and into open sky over an unknown forest. Nalia yelped in surprise and snapped open her wings to avoid plummeting into the greenery below. Aaron looked back up at the portal they just flew through. It looked like a blue and purple whirlpool suspended in the sky. If it was still there though, that probably meant Kialandí could follow through. Aaron cut the flow of energy keeping the portal open, and it disappeared without a trace.

The exhaustion from keeping the portal open hit Aaron and Nalia like a Kull. Still, the Rider smiled. He did it. His dragon and he were free.

_I'm going to find a place to set down,_ Nalia panted, _that took more out of my than I thought it would._ She started flying toward a mountain that had surprisingly little snow. Aaron looked around the forest below him. Somewhere in those trees might be where Nalia and he call home for who knew how long. The forest didn't look too different from any forest back in Alagaësia, mainly deciduous trees with a few clearings and rocks scattered about.

Aaron looked up at the sky to judge the time of day and would have fallen out of the saddle if he wasn't strapped in. "Nalia, are you seeing this?" Nalia turned her head to look at what her Rider stared at, then stopped her flight. The moon was visible, and it was half shattered.

_How is this possible? _Nalia's eyes were wide with fear. _The moon was whole last night. What could cause this?_

The Rider didn't know what to say. Out of everything that changed, the moon was the one constant. Every month, it went from full, to nothing, and then back to full. The same face always showed. Now, that constant had shattered, quite literally. "Let's just find a place to spend the night, okay? We can worry about this later."

Nalia resumed her flight but at a much slower rate. Her head moved from side to side, like she did when she thought something was following her. Aaron could feel her tense up through the saddle. He reached for his sword in preparation for battle. When Nalia thought she was being followed, she was usually right.

This time proved no different. A crow's caw loud enough to be confused with a dragon's roar assaulted Aaron's ears. The Rider looked toward the source of the sound and saw a large black bird flying right at Nalia and him.

Nalia growled and rolled out of the way of the creature's attack. Aaron looked down at the bird below him. It was the size of Nalia, and completely black except for a white and red bone 'mask' on its head. Its body shape overall looked like a mix between a condor and raven. Four red eyes stared back, filled with nothing but hunger and hatred.

The creature attacked once again, this time going for Nalia's exposed belly. She met the black bird halfway, delivering a shoulder to its neck. The dragon's superior mass drove the beast toward the ground. Nalia tried to get her teeth around its neck, but it managed to escape the dragon's shoulder attack.

Nalia breathed a torrent of fire at the bird. The inferno was hot enough to melt stone. However, the creature still flew after the fire stopped. It looked more annoyed than anything. It dove again at Nalia's back, but she managed to roll out of the way. Aaron thought he saw one of the saddlebags get nicked though. He swung his sword at the beast and managed to clip a wing. The creature screamed in pain and rage and turned around for another attack.

By that point, Aaron was getting exhausted, and he could feel Nalia's wing flaps become more labored. The creature had to die soon, or else Nalia would fall out of the sky. Aaron leaned in close to his dragon's ears. "Get me an angle at its neck." Nalia nodded and dove toward the creature. The two titans of the sky met in midair, with Nalia in a slightly more compromising position. The creature had an angle at her neck, but that was by design. As it brought its head back to deliver the killing blow, Nalia twisted her neck, giving Aaron the angle he needed to kill the beast. With a single swing, he loped off the creature's head.

Aaron watched the headless form crash into the forest below. It made a satisfying crash that could most likely be heard for miles around. Both dragon and Rider panted in the air, trying to catch their breath. Nalia turned back to her Rider. _We shouldn't stick around in case there are more nearby._

"Good idea, and good fighting." Aaron patted Nalia on the neck, and he got a light hum in return. He then looked at the saddlebag that took a hit during the fight. His heart started to fall into his stomach. That was one of the bags that held an egg. Aaron opened the top, and saw right down to the forest below.

Panic quickly overtook Aaron. "We lost an egg!" he shouted. Nalia quickly turned herself around and dove toward the forest. She leveled of just above the canopy and swung her head from side to side, trying to get a glimpse of red among all the green. Her own panic rolled off her in waves. Both dragon and Rider stretched their minds out to the forest, but Aaron almost immediately pulled back. There were more creatures down there, filled with the same hate that he saw in the bird's eyes. Their presence made the entire forest feel evil.

Three distinct roars rolled over the forest. Aaron looked over to the sources and saw three more of the black birds flying right at him. He slumped forward in the saddle, defeated. "We can't take them all on," he whispered.

Nalia turned back to face her Rider, fear and rage burning in her eyes. _We can't just leave that egg out there! We have to find it!_

"We can't fight them right now. They'll knock us out of the sky in this state. We'll search when we're well rested. I don't like leaving it out there any more than you do, but we have the two other eggs to take care of. We can't put them in any more danger." Nalia hesitantly nodded, then flew back in her original direction. After a few minutes of chasing, the beasts broke off their pursuit and returned to whatever hellhole they came from, not that they had any chance of catching a Quickwing.

Nalia never slowed down. She flew straight and true toward the hopeful safety of the mountain. Aaron knew half of her was screaming to turn around and find that egg, the other half knew it was sensible to go back when they recovered from the first fight. The Rider put a comforting hand on his dragon's neck. "We _will_ find that egg. Those creatures would be crazy to even lay eyes on it."

The rest of the flight continued in silence. No more birds flew up to meet them, and no other surprises tried to stop them. Nalia found a cave near the top of the mountain and landed just outside. The area around it looked and felt clear of the black creatures and some more familiar wildlife walked around.

The dragon and Rider split up, Nalia going to hunt and Aaron scouting out the top of the mountain. The extra height should give him a decent view of the surrounding area. It was a half hour hike to the top of the mountain. The trees stayed thick all the way up, a stark contrast to the Spine and the Beors. As Aaron neared the top of the mountain, the wildlife thinned out, where mainly birds flew. A small stream meandered its way toward a lake at the bottom of the mountain.

Aaron climbed a tree at the top of the mountain to get an even better look at the area. The forest stretched out in every direction, meeting an ocean on the west side. An island sat a few miles off the coastline. The city, however, took Aaron's breath away. _Nalia,_ he called with his mind, _I think you need to see this. Fly low though, you could be seen._ Nalia acknowledged and flew up to meet her Rider with a deer hanging limp in her mouth. When she saw the city, her dinner rolled right out, but Nalia's mouth stayed open.

The city was enormous. It was nearly three times the size of Ilirea, not counting the sprawl on the island. Large high-rise buildings rose on either side of a branching river in the center. Most of the buildings were either tan or white, and all had many glass windows. Despite the obvious differences to structures Alagaësia, the architecture was definitely human in origin. The structure closest to the dragon and Rider stood out from the rest. It resembled a large castle with a large lighthouse structure in the center. There were no defensive walls anywhere around the castle, so it had to look the part just for the aesthetic.

"So what do you think?" Aaron asked his dragon.

_Whoever they are, they have to be insane to have no walls._ Nalia huffed. _How can they keep out raiders, or any of those beasts on the ground?_

"Whether we like it or not, we are going to be living near them for a while." Aaron looked over the city with a more critical eye. The central part of the sprawl stood the tallest and was arguably the cleanest part of the city. As buildings got farther away from the center, they grew shorter and looked less adorned. One section of the city stood apart from the rest, its buildings taking a different color. Whether that was by design or grime, Aaron couldn't tell. He decided against entering the city from that side. That section might very well house most of the crime in the city. If he wanted to infiltrate the city though, Aaron knew he had to blend in. There was the very real possibility of running into the language barrier. He'd have to learn that if he wanted to get information out of anyone in the city.

Aaron looked up at the sun. It would set in a few hours, not enough time to make it into the city and back before dark, He turned to look at Nalia. "How about we split up tomorrow. I'll go into the city and you look for the egg."

Nalia shifted uncomfortably. _Are you sure that's the best idea? We could barely take one of those things down._

"We were already tired from making the portal. Besides, you've taken on three dragons larger than you several times before and won. Those things should be no problem."

_What about you? You'll be in an unknown city with who knows how many hostiles or magic users? I doubt your clothes will blend in either._

"I highly doubt anyone in the city would be as bad as the Forsworn. As for the clothes, I'll stay invisible until I can find some more."

Nalia snorted. _Just don't get into trouble down there. I don't want to have to find you in that mess._

"Who am I? Brom?" The pair chuckled a little at that. Brom was one of their few friends left alive after the Fall. "Let's settle down for the night. I'm hungry."

_I'm so glad you never turned vegetarian._

"Eh, give a while, It might catch me eventually, and what a dark day that will be." Aaron climbed onto Nalia's back and strapped in. The dragon grabbed her dinner in her mouth and flew off to their cave.

* * *

POV: Ruby

"Woah," was all Ruby Rose could say as she stared at the evaporating body of a decapitated Nevermore. The ground was littered with branches and leaves of nearby trees. The rest of team RWBY stood a little behind their leader.

"I didn't know any other teams were out this far," Weiss said. "Come to think of it, I can't think of any who could kill one like this."

"No bullet casings, no signs of struggle on the ground." Blake observed. She looked up at the broken canopy. "It's like it was killed in the sky."

Yang gently punched Ruby's shoulder. "Bringing back any memories sis?"

"Yeah, good times," Ruby replied. "We should really get going, shouldn't keep Professor Port waiting for too long."

"I still don't get why he sent us all the way out here to track a pack of Beowolves," the heiress complained.

"Better than taking on those other Nevermores we heard." Blake stated. The rest of the team shuddered at the memory. One was bad enough; they didn't think they could take more than one at once.

The four teammates started to make their way back to Beacon. The forest was unusually quiet, with only the sound of wind to be heard. Still, Ruby was on edge. The quiet either meant there was nothing in the area, or they were being hunted. It was always a good idea to think the latter.

A few clearings after they left the Nevermore, Ruby caught the glint of something under the branches of a tree. She changed direction and walked over to it. "Uh, Rubes, last time I checked Beacon wasn't under a tree," Yang joked.

"I found something over here," Ruby called back. The rest of her team quickly joined her under the tree. "I don't know what it is though." A red ovoid object lay half buried in the ground. Ruby grabbed whatever is was and pulled it out. It was surprisingly warm, which meant it most likely wasn't a normal rock. "Weiss, is this some kind of Dust?"

Weiss grabbed it from Ruby and looked it over for a few seconds. "I don't know what it is, but it isn't Dust."

"It kind of looks like an egg," Yang chipped in.

"What kind of animal would lay an egg of that size? Or color?" Blake asked.

Ruby thought it over for a moment as she took the object back from Weiss. "A dragon?" she eventually joked.

Yang laughed. "If a dragon hatches from that thing, I'll bake you an oven full of cookies."

"Well now I guess I have to keep this thing." Ruby said cheerfully. Blake looked up surprised and Weiss looked taken aback. "Could you go buy some in the city though?"

Yang put her hands on her hips. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Hold up!" Weiss interrupted. "You're just going to take some random rock out of the forest because you think it's a _dragon egg?"_

"What am I? Twelve?" Ruby retorted. "It's a one of a kind thing, and it matches my cloak." She flipped the rock over in her hands and looked more of it over. "Who knows? This might be worth something."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine, just keep your rock with your stuff." She turned around and saw Blake staring intently off into the distance. "You see something?"

Blake didn't answer for a few seconds. "I thought I saw… Never mind. It's not important. Let's get going."

"Alright, team RWBY!" Ruby called out cheerfully. "We're Beacon bound! For real this time!" She turned east and started walking with the red rock cradled in her arms. Even though her hands were full with holding the egg, Ruby was still ready to grab Crescent Rose and fight off any Grimm that came close. Surprisingly, none came to block her team's path. There weren't even any recent tracks. Something scared the Grimm off.

The team arrived at Beacon just before sunset. Professor Port stood waiting at the easternmost gate. "Ah, team RWBY, right on time," he said cheerfully. "I trust you obtained all the information you needed?"

"Yes sir!" Ruby replied just as cheerfully. She shifted the rock completely to her right arm and took her scroll out with her left. "It's all on here." She started transferring the files.

"Excellent work. Did you run into anything else interesting out there besides that beautiful stone you're carrying?"

"Well," Ruby began but was cut off by Blake.

"We found a decapitated Nevermore," she said deadpan.

"Yeah, that," Ruby mumbled.

Professor Port smoothed his mustache in thought. "Interesting. You didn't put it in that condition did you?"

"No," Ruby said. "It was already decaying when we found it."

"Hmm, you four were the only ones supposed to be out there today. I'll have to talk to Professor Ozpin about this. Anyway, you are dismissed." Port turned around and started walking toward the tower at the center of Beacon. Team RWBY, meanwhile, headed back to their dorm room. They had been out tracking most of the day, and all were about to collapse from exhaustion.

"So," Yang said as they entered their dorm, "any guesses on what killed that Nevermore if it wasn't someone from Beacon?"

"A professional Huntsman most likely," Weiss said.

"I've read that territorial disputes between Nevermore can get pretty serious," Blake pitched in.

"That would explain it being killed in the air," Weiss agreed.

"Could have been the mother of that egg," Yang jabbed at Ruby.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "It's a rock Yang, nothing could lay an egg like this."

"Not even a dragon?" Yang received a pillow to the face for that last one. "Come on, admit it! That would be so cool!"

"Yes it would, but dragons aren't real." Ruby looked at Yang. The look on her face said it all. "I'm not going to hear the end of this for a while, am I?"

Yang cocked her head to the side, a large smile forming on her face, "Nope."

Ruby sighed. "I should have kept my mouth shut," she mumbled. She looked over at Weiss and her shared dresser. Her side should be big enough to hold the rock. She set it down on top, then took out her pajamas from the dresser. As she was turning around, Ruby thought she rock move. She looked closely at it for a few seconds then shrugged. She must have bumped the dresser.

* * *

'**Protagonist enters another world through a portal' cliché (ding!). Also, I have only one story on here with any comments on it, so please, for the love of God or whatever deity you believe in, tell me what you think of it.**


	3. To the Flame

Friday, July 31

POV: Zach

It was late at night and all the lights were out. However, Zach was still up, cleaning his SRS99-S5 AM, when his draconic hearing caught the sound of something rolling around coming from team RWBY's dorm. The sound in and of itself wasn't to strange, but what was is the fact that it started at about 2300 hours and the fact that it kept going in and out lead him to believe that something weird was going on. Then about 15 minutes after the sound started popping up, he heard a squeak that nearly killed his ears. "Church, lower my ears' input to my brain, because I have a feeling that noise ain't ending any time soon."

"Done" The A.I., serial number DTN-002, A.K.A. Church, replied.

He then heard (R)WBY's complaints as their lights came on. After that, a crack sounded from their room.

"Wait, what in the… Undo that, I want to hear this."

"On it."

He faintly heard a piece of something fall onto their floor, followed by the loudest squeak yet.

"Do they have a fuckin' egg in there?" He asked himself. Several more squeaks followed.

"Did…this just happen?" Wiess asked.

"You mean, what… I have to assume is a dragon, just hatched on our floor? Yeah. That happened." He nearly dropped the barrel at what he heard. A _dragon!_ He very quickly got over his shock and grabbed a micro-camera that was designed to blur out anything that would even remotely be considered inappropriate and even bleep out cuss words and other such things, then teleported it to the top corner of their room, not their bathroom. He then opened the wall up slightly, seeing as how his room was right next to theirs, mainly to connect the wires. He continued listening to their conversation as he worked.

"It's. So. Cute!" Ruby practically squealed.

"Looks like I owe you some cookies Ruby," Yang said. "Who'd have thought I'd have to dig up mom's old recipe." At that point, the camera was connected and running, and he was watching through his helmet.

Ruby knelt down in front of the hatchling. "Hey there little guy," she said as she reached out with her left hand to pet it.

Lightning shot up her arm. She gasped and her eyes bulged. Her limbs twitched around, likely without her command. While she was in pain, Yang called her name, but she was clearly too busy trying not to scream to care. She seemed to feel like she was being torn apart from the inside out, and he knew the feeling from every time he accessed his full draconic power, and became a dragon.

Ruby's shoulders slumped and her head tilted forward. "Ow," she moaned. She opened her eyes. Water seemed blocked her view, so she blinked a few times to clear them.

It was clear to the SPARTAN that Ruby felt panic rising in her. She looked around the room and saw Yang arming Ember Celica by her bed. "Yang? W…what are you doing?"

Yang turned to Ruby, her eyes red. "Ruby, back away from the wall."

"What?" Ruby looked between Weiss and Blake. "What's going on?"

"That thing attacked you!" Weiss pointed at Ruby's left arm.

Ruby snapped her head to the area. The hatchling was curled up behind her arm. She shook terribly and stared at Yang with wide eyes. Ruby reached over with her right hand and touched the hatchling's snout. Her three teammates made to jump forward, but held back. With a whimper, the poor baby dragon pushed her head into Ruby's hand.

"I think that was a one-time thing." Ruby ran her hand along the side of the hatchling's head.

"So what if it was a one-time thing!" Yang pointed at the hatchling. "That thing attacked you! What's stopping it from doing it again?"

Ruby looked to the hatchling. She started shaking even more. The hatchling looked up at Ruby.

Ruby stuck a hand out toward her sister. "Yang, you need to calm down. You're scaring her."

"I'm scaring her? She attacked you!" Yang blinked and narrowed her eyes. "Her?"

"Better than calling her it."

"Are you defending it?"

"Yang! Use your head!" Ruby pled. "You saw her before. She was wagging her tail like a puppy. She was happy! Now look at her." Ruby looked back at the hatchling. Her little red eyes stared up at Ruby. A cute little whimper came from her throat. Ruby caressed the hatchling's head. "I don't think she meant to do it."

Ruby looked back up at her sister. Yang's eyes switched back to their normal lilac. She sighed. "Ruby, I'm glad you're alright, but that thing hurt you! You looked like you were having a seizure!"

Another whimper came from Ruby's side. She looked down at the hatchling. "I know she didn't mean it."

Yang's arms shook. She was fighting herself. "Ruby…"

"Yang, please put your gauntlets down." Ruby stuck a hand out toward her sister while the other covered the hatchling.

Yang hesitated, then sighed and deactivated Ember Celica, taking the two gauntlets off. Ruby let her shoulders fall, and _Zach_ could feel some of the tension leave the room. He wasn't even in there! Blake and Weiss exchanged nervous glances, but stayed silent.

The hatchling stopped shaking and slowly climbed onto Ruby's lap. She stayed close to Ruby's stomach and whimpered up at Yang. Yang shot a glare at her. The hatchling squeaked and climbed up to Ruby's shoulder. The poor girl started to shake and whimper again. Ruby reached up with her opposite hand and began to pet the trembling dragon, ignoring the egg fluid. "You don't need to be scared," she whispered, plainly audible due to his ability to, when he wanted to, hear people's thoughts. "No one's going to hurt you, you're with friends."

The hatchling pulled her head back and locked her tiny red eye's with Ruby's. She whimpered again and rubbed her face against Ruby's check. The other three people in the room recoiled, and Yang completely turned away.

The baby dragon pulled her head away and licked Ruby's cheek. She then freed herself from Ruby's arms and walked off her lap. The hatchling sniffed the air and squeaked a few times. "I think she's hungry."

All humans turned to the sole Faunus in the room. Even Zach took his eyes off of the baby dragon to look at Blake. "Why are you all looking at me?" Blake asked.

"We all know you have a tuna stash, Blake." Yang threw a glance at the hatchling, then faced her bed again.

Blake's bow tilted backward, then she turned to hers and Yang's dresser and pulled out the top drawer. She pulled out several stacks of clothes before grabbing a large can of tuna. "You guys owe me."

The hatchling stared up at Blake with her head cocked. Blake pulled the tab on the can. Almost instantly, the hatchling raised her wings and squeaked happily. After staring down for a second, Blake slowly set the can down on the floor. The hungry hatchling waited until Blake's hand pulled away before pouncing on the food. She buried her face in the fish and didn't pull her snout out until the can was clean. A cute burp later, she walked forward and rubbed her side against Blake's legs. She looked up at Blake and whimpered again.

The corners of Blake's lips raised. "That's not fair." She took another can from the drawer and opened it as well. Once again, the baby dragon waited until Blake's hand left before diving in.

A smile was building on Ruby's face.

Weiss pointed at the hatchling, then at Ruby, and back again. "But, how? Is this the same dragon what was hiding behind you?"

"Yep." Ruby smiled up at her partner. "I guess it's a baby thing. Or a…dragon thing."

Another squeak caught Ruby's attention. It looked like the cutie was begging for more food from Blake. "Hungry little thing, aren't you?" Blake asked. She received another squeak in response.

Ruby allowed herself a small laugh, then she looked up at her sister. Yang was looking at the hatchling through the side of her eye. A grimace formed on her lips, but it didn't look like it was aimed at the hatchling. "Yang? Something wrong?" Ruby finally pushed herself off the floor and walked to her sister's side.

Yang turned her head halfway to meet Ruby, but still couldn't meet Ruby's eyes. "I'm sorry, it—she hurt you. I haven't seen you in that much pain since you broke your arm before Signal." She paused and looked at the hatchling on the floor. The cutie had rolled onto her back and Weiss rubbed her belly, dragging out the same purr from before. Yang winced. "Where was this right when she hatched? Why'd she hurt you?" She shook her head and finally met Ruby's gaze. "She hurt you. I can't get that out of my head. The rest of you may be convinced, but I'm not."

Ruby dipped her head. "Give her a chance? Like Weiss and Blake? Does that look like the face of evil?" She gestured at the hatchling, who was now eating out of yet another can of tuna while Weiss scratched her back.

"No." Yang shook her head. "But…"

"Please?" Ruby put on the best puppy dog face she could manage.

Yang sighed. "Blake's right. This isn't fair." She walked toward where the cutie was eating and knelt down. The hatchling looked at Yang and squeaked. She jumped, then hid behind Weiss' legs. Yang stuck an arm out. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

The hatchling stuck her head out from behind Weiss' legs. She sniffed the air and flicked her tongue out. She looked up at Ruby as if asking if it was safe. "It's okay," Ruby soothed. "She's nice when you get to know her."

The cutie left the shield provided by Weiss' legs. She slowly walked toward Yang's outstretched hand and sniffed it. A hum exploded out her throat and she pressed her head into Yang's hand.

That got a smile out of Yang. "Ya know, for an animal with scales, you sure are soft." The hatchling continued to purr as she pushed her body against the hand. "I guess she forgives easily."

"I think she gets that from me." Ruby gazed down at the baby dragon.

"Are you saying you've rubbed off on her?" Weiss asked. "Your happiness is infectious, but it can't win over someone in less than twenty minutes."

"It's not that, it's…" Ruby bit her lip. "I think I can feel her emotions, and if that's true, I'm guessing she can feel mine."

The rest of her team looked at Ruby like she suddenly had two heads and Zach activated the full power of his hearing to check her claims. "Did you hit your head when you fell?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know how to describe it," Ruby shook her head, "but when she was hiding behind me, I was scared of Yang." Said person looked up at Ruby like she'd been stabbed in the chest. "But that disappeared as soon as she hugged me." The hatchling looked up at Ruby and cocked her head.

A knock on the door made everyone in the room jump. "Uh guys, everything okay in there?" Jaune asked. "We heard yelling and-"

"We're fine, Jaune," Ruby paused as she thought it over. Should she say something now, or save it. "I just…fell out of bed." 'That's not going to work.' Zach thought as she said it, then he heard team RWBY think the exact same thing.

"Oh, well, if that's it, uh, good night." Footsteps on the other side of the door signaled Jaune's departure. 'Or it will totally work. Wait, of course it worked, it's Jaune.' He thought again.

Weiss brought a hand to her face. "How did he believe that?"

"I'm askin' myself the same thing over here." Zach said, not that any of them could hear him.

"I thought you would have told him," Blake said.

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe when we know what's going on. And," she looked down at the cutie, "I don't want to overwhelm her. And it's kind of a hard thing to explain late at night, and through a door."

The hatchling squeaked for attention again. Everyone looked down at her. She was looking up at Blake with those same wide eyes from before. Blake held her arms up in surrender. "I'm sorry, that's all I had." The hatchling hung her head and whimpered. She walked over to Ruby's side and looked up. When she met Ruby's eyes, her own brightened and her wings raised. She hummed and ran her side against Ruby's legs.

Ruby knelt down and pet her dragon, ignoring the egg fluid still that still coated the scales. "Ah well, looks like we're going to have to make another stop in Vale." She froze in place. "Oh. How are we going to explain that to dad?"

"I could sneak some things out of the cafeteria," Blake offered. "I have…experience."

"Wha…oh." Ruby flicked her eyes to Weiss. The heiress shot Blake a look, but shook it off. "If we can do this without breaking any rules, I'll take it."

"What about breaking dad's rules?" Yang asked with a slight smirk.

"I'm more scared of professor Goodwitch than dad." Yang gave a sideways nod, but Ruby froze again. "Aaand we've been making enough noise to wake up JNPR." She looked at the walls that separated them from other teams. "That's not good."

The rest of the team exchanged glances. Yang shrugged. "Ah well. Not like we can make it any worse."

"So what are you going to name her?" Weiss asked suddenly.

Ruby blinked at her partner. "I…hadn't thought about it. Why'd you ask?"

"I, uh, well, it appears you're going to keep her around for a while. I figured to would be a good idea to give her a name."

"You like her." Ruby smirked.

"Well what's not to like?" Weiss knelt down next to the hatchling and stoked her back. "She's cute, she's a cuddler, she's…ahh!" She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against the baby dragon's snout. The hatchling stuck her tongue out and licked Weiss' nose.

Ruby took a step back and watched her partner play with the hatchling. The cutie looked up at Ruby, then leaned into Weiss' scratches. Weiss was saying various shades of red at the dragon.

Ruby knelt down by the hatchling. The cutie squeaked and jumped out of Weiss' grip and onto Ruby's knee. She looked up and tried to lick Ruby's face. "Hey, how would you like being called Cerise?"

The dragon hummed happily and pressed her snout against Ruby's nose. Ruby pet Cerise a few times, then saw something on her hand. Not only was it covered with the same egg fluid as Cerise' scales and wings, but a silvery-white mark had appeared in the center of her hand, roughly where Cerise first touched it. Even on her pale skin, it stuck out like a sore thumb. "Oh. That's different."

"Something wrong, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

"I may need to borrow some light gloves tomorrow." Ruby turned her palm to her teammates.

All three of them looked closely at it. "Did she do that to you?" Yang asked. She narrowed her eyes at Cerise.

"I'm guessing so." Ruby put herself slightly in between Yang and Cerise. "If she did, she didn't mean it." For whatever reason, Cerise whimpered and laid her head across Ruby's leg. "I don't even feel it."

Yang's eyes flicked to Ruby and they softened. "If you say so." She didn't sound convinced.

Ruby returned her attention to Cerise. "How does having your first bath sound?" The hatchling lifted her head and hummed happily. "I'll take that as a yes." Ruby scooped Cerise up and walked into the team's bathroom. She seemed to turn the lights on before taking a towel from where it hung on the wall and tossed it back into the room for the others to wipe the egg goop off themselves.

Soon afterwards, they went to bed and he had cut the feed as soon as they did. He then proceeded to quietly finish his work and put his sniper back together, before he did the same as team RWBY, having set the camera to record whenever the red dragon was in view.

* * *

**My inspiration for this fic was, after finding A Rose's Scales, I thought, "How much would end up changing if my OCs were added into the equation, probably a decent amount." So far though, not much has changed.**


	4. Discoveries

**This takes place after Volume one, but still in the first semester, like two weeks before all exams are over with. That will give Cerise enough time to grow before she sees any real action.**

* * *

Saturday, August 1

POV: Aaron

Aaron looked at the sprawling city before him. His nervousness about going into the strange place grew by the second. There were so many unknowns. He barely knew any words in Dwarvish, what if the people here spoke a language that didn't exist in Alagaësia? He knew he had to blend in, so that meant getting the right kind of clothes and acting like the majority of people on the street. Aaron's undercover training might as well not exist. Then again, he always did prefer learning on the job.

Nalia crawled up next to her Rider. _I feel your doubts about going into to city,_ she said. _Are you sure you don't want to search for the egg with me?_

"I'm sure," Aaron replied. "We need to know who we'll be living with. We don't know if they'll like having a dragon sleeping just outside their walls."

_They don't have any walls. _Nalia chuckled at her own joke.

Aaron gave his dragon a playful shove. "You know what I mean. We don't want them storming this mountain to take us out." He shook his head and his tone turned serious. "We have to protect the remaining eggs. I know we'll find the other. We have to."

Nalia looked her bond-mate in the eyes. _Be careful down there. Don't attract attention to yourself, and please, don't add any more scars._

Aaron placed a hand on his dragon's snout. "If I had reason to, by definition I'd be attracting attention. I'm more worried about you and those creatures." He stood up and shouldered his makeshift pack and buckled on his sword. "I'll be back before sundown, hopefully with some useful information. I'll contact you when I'm in the city." With that, the Rider and dragon separated on their respective missions.

Aaron hiked down the mountain and through the forest like he had many times in Alagaësia. The normal wildlife he'd see back home became less and less prominent as he walked. The bottom of the mountain just felt evil. He grabbed his sword and pulled it a few inches from its scabbard. Though he didn't see anything through most of his hike, a few black creatures popped in and out, but they didn't seem to notice him.

An hour into the hike, Aaron found a well-worn trail leading toward the city. He quickly cast an invisibility spell on himself and proceeded to the city. A few other people walked the trail and all of them were armed, with swords or otherwise. A couple carried black, rectangular things that had a hole in the front of them. The men with them carried them like one would a bow while hunting.

Eventually the tree line started to thin out, as did the evil feeling of the forest. The tall buildings seen from the mountain started peaking over the remaining trees. Aaron heard strange whirring noises getting louder with each step. He didn't know of anything that could make that kind of noise, and there were a lot of things making it. The Rider made a mental note to figure out what made it.

The trail suddenly converged into a full-fledged road and houses mixed in with the trees. Strange metal, wheeled contraptions sat outside or even inside many of the houses. No people walked down the center of the black, paved road, only on slightly raised gray sections, which struck Aaron as strange. In every city he'd been in every inch of the road was used by people. _Why have such a wide road if most of it is unused?_ he thought to himself.

Aaron's answer wasn't long in coming. Another whirring noise started behind him and rapidly increased in volume. He turned around and saw one of the metal machines roll down the right side of the black section almost as fast as a horse at full gallop. A person sat inside holding another wheel. A light on its right side started flashing as it passed Aaron. The vehicle slowed down and turned a corner.

_Nalia,_ Aaron called out with his mind. _They have wagons that can move by themselves here._

The dragon took a few seconds to respond. _It seems there are magic users here after all if they can do that._

Aaron stretched his mind out to a stationary carriage to gauge the amount of magic in it. He found none, so he searched one that was moving. Still, he only felt person inside the carriage, and he wasn't a magician. _These things aren't magical, and they have no life of their own. They might as well be rocks._

Surprise radiated off Nalia. _Is that even possible?_

_Unless there was something in the water this morning, I'm looking at it._

_If that is the kind of transportation they have, I shudder to think of their weapons._

Aaron thought back to the travelers he saw on the trail. _I've seen some of them. They still use weapons that we've seen before, along with some black rectangle thing that I think can be used in place of a bow. Still, if it comes to a fight, my wards should hold. _Aaron paused. _Anything on your end yet?_

Nalia mentally sighed. _Nothing yet, not even any more of those winged creatures. They seemed eager enough to attack us yesterday, I wonder what happened._

_No news is good news. Keep looking, it's out there somewhere. I'll contact you again when I'm presentable in this city._ Aaron broke the connection and turned his eyes to the people who lived in the area. If he wasn't invisible, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. More often than not, the people were exceptionally pale. Only a few had any tan color to them at all, but enough so Aaron didn't have to change his complexion. Men wore a wide range of clothing, from colorful shorts that stopped at the knee to heavy black jerkins with pieces of cloth tied around their necks. Women wore similar casual clothing as the men, but donned more familiar dresses for presumably formal events. Aaron frowned. He didn't have any of the local currency to get appropriate clothing for this city. Luckily, all cities were full of pickpockets. He'd just 'liberate' some of that currency, since fining the rightful owners would be nearly impossible.

The fact that random people carried weapons crossed all demographics in the area. Almost none of them looked like soldiers. Aaron couldn't place a pattern. _This place must be in troubled times if so many take weapons everywhere,_ he thought.

Buildings got bigger as he moved near the center of the city. Aaron listened in on a few conversations, and surprisingly they spoke the same language. The writing on the buildings showed the same thing. He counted his lucky stars and pressed onward.

Aaron walked invisibly down a particularly busy street, searching with his mind for pickpockets. He focused in on a girl with green hair who seemed very confident with her skills. Aaron decided to knock her down a few notches. Getting up close, he cast a spell so the pickpocket would feel nothing, then pulled several wallets out of her own pocket.

Aaron quickly added the wallets to his invisibility spell and walked down a side alley. He couldn't believe he was back to his old childhood habit. In order to survive on the streets of Teirm, he had to steal money and food. He never liked it, but it was necessary until his adopted parents took him in. The Rider was appalled how easy it came back to him, and how easy it was with magic.

When he was sure he was alone and couldn't be seen, Aaron ended his invisibility spell to inspect the wallets. None of them felt particularly heavy, and all were less than an inch thick. He opened one of them and was instantly confused. Instead of the expected coin, several rigid rectangles of an unknown material lay in various sleeves. Each sleeve had a different color in it, presumably each with different values. The rest of the wallets had the same things in them. He sighed and recast his invisibility spell. While he had no idea how much he carried, he could always spy on businesses to see payment take place.

Aaron returned to the street and searched for a clothing shop, not that it was a hard task. They were everywhere. He eventually chose one called Old Blue and followed a group in, so he didn't have to use the doors himself. The store was huge compared to any in Alagaësia. The size of half of the men's section at Old Blue was the size of a normal shop back home. Aaron was at least glad he got some choices.

Still, Aaron chose clothing that most other people wore; some blue trousers called 'jeans,' white socks and shoes, and a plain blue tunic. He put them all in his already invisible pack, and wandered around the store to see if there was anything else was needed to complete his disguise. A green jerkin with white strips on the sleeve and under the armpits caught his eye. He picked that up as well. Aaron also picked up a black backpack, a green cap, blue 'sunglasses,' and a pair of white gloves to keep his gedwëy ignasia hidden from view. He assumed the numbers above the pieces of clothing were the prices.

At the front of the store, Aaron spied several people pay for their clothes for several minutes to figure out how much each of the 'Lien' cards was worth. Eventually he caught a pattern and grabbed the hundred and fifty 'Lien' needed to pay for everything. He slipped the cards into the drawer the salesperson used on the next customer. The process was a lot quicker than any he knew of.

He tried following someone out the doors, but as soon as he stepped between two tall, metal rectangles, something made a loud screeching noise. Aaron froze in place, in fear of being discovered. Instead one of the people who was receiving money waved the person Aaron was following through. "The system's been yelling all day," the woman said. "You're good."

With whatever that was out of the way, Aaron left the building behind another group. As he walked down the street, he felt something wet on his right arm. Was something he 'bought' wet in some way? He walked behind another building and ended his invisibility spell. He instantly saw a black ink stain that covered most of the jerkin. _What? Where did this come from?_ He flipped the jerkin over and saw a circular tan button on the back. The mess appeared to be coming from that. "Jierda." The button broke off, spilling out even more ink. Aaron jumped back to avoid being caught in the splash. Why would they ruin a new jerkin like that? Aaron shook his head. It was probably something the locals did to prevent theft.

Aaron held a hand over the mess and started chanting in the Ancient Language. The spell he was using worked for blood, and so far it was working on the ink. It took a while, but the black mess was removed from the jerkin. He returned his attention to his other new clothes to see if any of them had been soiled. Luckily, one the jerkin caught any of the mess. He quickly changed into his new outfit, hoping no one would come down the alley. Once finished, he looked at his reflection from a puddle on the ground. Even with his sword at his side, he thought that his appearance suited the city. He nodded to himself and walked back to the busy street.

No one seemed to notice Aaron, and he was perfectly fine with that. He roamed the streets looking at all the people and buildings, keeping passive on the outside and gasping in wonder on the inside. All the buildings, vehicles, and food seemed extraordinary. No Alagaësian city would look like this for many hundreds of years. He had only seen humans in this city. Could they have built all of this themselves? _Without_ magic?

In his visual tour of the city, Aaron accidentally bumped into someone. "Hey, watch it!" the guy said, then turned and walked away. Aaron looked after the man and was shocked to see a long tail come out of his trousers. He looked around again, and for the first time noticed animalistic features on many of the people in the city, mainly antlers, ears, and tails. Aaron tried not to stare at people as he tried to figure out if these people were elves or not. He knew some elves transformed their appearance to animals which they thought most beautiful, but he never got the appeal. On closer inspection, however, these people were not elves, and they certainly weren't entirely human.

Aaron extended his mind to contact his dragon. _Find anything yet Nalia?_

_No, _she sighed. _I've searched every place we flew over yesterday and everywhere within a few hundred feet of that. There do seem to be a few sets of human footprints though._

_You think someone took it?_

_I think we have to consider the possibility. I'll keep searching though. There has to be clue somewhere._ Nalia pulled away, leaving Aaron alone in his head. He continued down the street and considered stretching his mind out to find out if someone in the city took the egg. It would be faster than looking door to door, but would also tip off any magicians that could prove hostile. The Rider shook his head in defeat. Either option left him open to hostilities, something he couldn't deal with while trying to keep a low profile.

Aaron worked over his problem so much he didn't notice the group of girls that came around the corner in front of him. He bumped forcibly into one of them and knocked her to the ground. The impact snapped him out of his trance, and he was horrified about what he did, and the reactions that were sure to come his way. "I'm sorry! My fault!" he said as he stuck out a hand to help the girl up. "I should have been paying more attention."

"You're right you should have been paying attention," the white-haired member of the group snapped. "You could have knocked her right into traffic!" The two other girls still standing seemed taken aback by the outburst.

"Weiss, I'm okay," the girl on the ground said as she and Aaron grabbed each other's gloved hands. He pulled the girl to her feet and got a good look at her. She looked to be about his age. Her hair was mainly black with some red accent. Silver eyes stared back. Her clothes consisted of a strange black dress and a red cloak around her shoulders. "It was an accident."

The one identified as Weiss stood down but still glared at Aaron. To avoid further confrontation he just walked down the street before anyone else could say anything. Still he looked back at the girl he knocked down with interest. _There's something different about that girl…_

* * *

POV: Ruby

"There's something different about that guy," Ruby said aloud.

"I'll say!" Weiss spat. "He completely bowled you over!"

"Weiss, calm down," Blake said. "I could tell he was having a bad day."

"And how, pray tell do you know that?"

"He was distracted enough to run right into Ruby, he spoke quickly, and he walked off in a hurry in the same direction."

"That is still no excuse to make other people's days worse."

"Don't judge Weiss, you never know what people are going through."

"What did you mean by different?" Yang chipped in to change the subject.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't really know; I just have a weird feeling that's all."

A large smile broke onto Yang's face. "Aww, my little sister has a crush on a guy she doesn't even know."

Ruby twirled around and punched Yang in the shoulder. "I do not! It's something else, it's…" she sighed. She had no idea how to describe it.

"You think it has something to do with you-know-who?" Blake asked.

"Probably? It was in my head whatever it was." The four girls continued walking towards the commercial district talking about random things but avoided talking about Cerise at Ruby's insistence. She didn't want news of her dragon getting out. If it was anything like Weiss said it could be, Ruby wouldn't be able to leave Beacon without having a camera directed at her or Cerise. It pained the girl to leave her dragon cooped up in their dorm all alone, but she didn't trust anyone outside her team with the dragon's well-being. Well, maybe JNPR, but Nora couldn't keep a secret to save her life. Possibly team Gray. Ozpin...maybe. Yang would have stayed behind, but she said she had to pick up something in the city that day.

The team split up, with Weiss and Yang heading further into the city to shop for Dust, clothes, and other necessities, and Ruby and Blake stopping at the Vale library to find some books on dragons. Ruby didn't know how to take care if her dragon in the long term, and even urban legends would help. Blake was there to help in the research and find the books that would most likely help.

There were plenty of books about dragons, but mainly narratives that took a while to find the information they were looking for. There were a few info books about them, but even then their information was conflicted. It seemed to be a fifty-fifty split on whether the book looked at dragons in a friendly light or as evil as Grimm. Also, it was a toss-up on whether dragon scales were worth as much as gold or as little as paper. Still, none explained the mark on Ruby's hand or the intrusions on her mind.

After a few hours the two teammates figured they'd gotten all they could get from the books provided. Ruby and Blake returned all the books to their places and made for the door. Just as they were about to leave, the guy that knocked Ruby over opened the door. He froze when he saw the girls, then quickly turned for the history section. Ruby stared after him as she left the library. Something was tugging at the corner of her mind, the same thing that happened when they first met. "What is it about that guy?" she whispered to herself. If Blake heard, she didn't let on.

Their next stop was the local Hi Dee to hopefully get enough food to feed Cerise for the week. Ruby hoped the baby dragon ate more than just meat, what with Grimm attacks on farms growing more frequent and driving up the cost, and hers and Yang's emergency credit card being directly linked to their dad's account. She knew she couldn't keep Cerise locked up forever, but she was still so little. There wouldn't be much stopping a fox trying to make a snack of her, let alone a gray wolf, or worse.

Still, meat was the only option that Ruby knew her dragon ate. Blake and she loaded up on fish, chicken, beef, and a few other things that they thought a dragon would like. Ruby even picked up a carton of strawberries, reasoning if she liked them so much, so would her dragon. If not, she got them. Blake just rolled her eyes while failing to hide a smile.

The team regrouped on the road back to Beacon. Everyone had both their hands full except Yang who only carried one unmarked bag. Ruby and Blake informed the other two about what they learned about taking care of the dragon, even though they had no idea if their information was accurate. Weiss simply laid out how uneventful Yang's and her trip was.

Yang was unusually silent through the walk back to Beacon. Ruby thought she saw an occasional smirk on her sister's face through the walk, but she had no idea what caused it. A light gust of wind blew past the group and carried a distinctive smell with it. Ruby snapped her head around to the bag Yang carried. "You didn't," she gasped.

Yang's shoulders slumped and she fake moaned, yet the smile gave her away. "It was supposed to be a surprise, dang wind." She pulled out a box of cookies from Ruby's favorite bakery in town. "Since I can't bake and I don't exactly have easy access to an oven, I figured I'd get you the next best thing."

Only the grocery bags Ruby carried kept her from jumping with joy. She settled with saying, "Yang, you're the best!"

Yang's smile grew on her face. "I am aren't I?" Suddenly she blinked a few times and she rubbed her head like she had a massive headache. "Uh, Ruby, I think I believe you about Cerise about being in your head now."

"What?" Ruby looked at her sister in confusion.

"I have to agree with Yang on this one," Weiss said while rubbing her own head. "Your overreactions to things can be infectious, but I actually _felt _it that time."

Ruby looked at Blake for a final confirmation. She just nodded.

Ruby took a few steps backward, unsure of what to say or do. She looked at her friends to see if she could get any support. Yang looked genuinely concerned while Weiss and Blake looked curious more than anything. Ruby meanwhile stood terrified. Where was this coming from? How'd it start? Then a worse thought came to her head and she looked back to the city. "How far did it go?" she whispered.

Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, like we always do. Right now, we should get you back to Beacon. Less people will ask questions there." She turned and started back toward the school. "Hopefully."

The rest of the walk continued in silence, nobody wanting to incite another episode and Ruby trying to calm herself down. If she could do that, what else could she do? Could she read minds? Could she influence what other people thought? Ruby shook her head. She was excited yet terrified at the same time. It was too much to handle at once.

Could her little Cerise be behind all this?

Ruby was so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't even realize she made it back to Beacon. She looked around at other students walking around and they didn't act like anything different had happened. No one paid team RWBY any mind as they passed through campus, not even team JNPR who were studying for the upcoming exams. Ruby released a sigh of relief when they reached their room.

Yang opened the door and the rest of the team rushed right in. Ruby practically dropped her bags by the door and searched the room for her dragon. "Cerise! We're back!" Ruby called as the door closed. She heard a squeak come from her bed and Cerise poked her red head out from behind the white sheet. Relief flooded through Ruby, as well as the pure joy from her dragon.

Cerise dropped to the floor, took a few running steps toward Ruby, and leaped onto her shoulder. Ruby scratched under her dragon's chin. "I guess you missed me," she said, and her dragon squeaked in agreement.

"That dragon reminds me of Zwei as a puppy," Yang commented as she unpacked her bag.

Ruby laughed. "No, Zwei was crazier than Cerise." Her hatchling started sniffing the air in the room, then locked her gaze on the bags Ruby brought with her. "You hungry? We bought some food specifically for you today." Cerise squeaked in delight then jumped off Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby pulled a package of fish out of the bag. She barely had it open when Cerise pounced on it. Her small dragon went to town on the fish like, well, a wild animal. Ruby crossed the room and grabbed the box of cookies from Yang. She opened it and popped two cookies into her mouth at the same time. When she was about to eat a third Cerise squeaked for attention. Ruby looked over and saw her dragon had cleaned out the entire package.

"How?" Ruby asked, even though Cerise couldn't respond. "All those fish weighed as much as you." Her small dragon just squeaked and looked at Ruby with pleading eyes. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. _This isn't going to work._ "Yang? Does dad have a Scroll with video conferencing yet?"

Yang shrugged. "I don't think he's that far behind. Why?"

Ruby picked up Cerise, who chirped happily before licking Ruby's cheek. "I think it'll be easier to explain that way."

"Makes sense." Yang smirked. "Need me to call since your hands are full?"

"Please." Ruby smiled down at the cutie in her arms. Cerise hummed, then climbed onto Ruby's shoulder. She crawled around Ruby's back, so her neck and tail hung off opposite shoulders. "Comfortable?" Cerise hummed and rubbed her face against Ruby's.

Weiss squeaked from her bed. "Oh my gosh! How can she be so cute?"

"I like this new Weiss," Blake said. "Can Cerise stay like that forever?"

"Hey!" Weiss shot a glare at Blake.

"Can you two keep it down?" Yang fake shouted. "I'm making a call here." She turned back to her Scroll and waved Ruby over. "Hey dad. How's it going?"

"About normal," their dad said. "How's it Yanging?" Ruby stood off to the side. She could see her dad, but he couldn't see her.

Yang smirked, but it fell off just as quickly. "That's debatable right now, actually."

Their dad's smile disappeared. "Something wrong?"

"Something...different. Ruby can explain it better." Yang turned her Scroll's camera toward Ruby.

"Hi dad." Ruby raised a hand and waved as best she could without disturbing Cerise.

"Hi Ruby." Her dad returned the wave, then leaned forward. "What's that around your neck?"

Ruby ran a finger under her dragon's chin. "Go on, Cerise. Say hi."

Cerise purred and chirped at the Scroll. Taiyang's eyes widened. "You got a lizard?" he asked. "I didn't know you liked them."

"Well, you're partially right." Ruby turned around so hers and Cerise' back faced the Scroll. "She's a lizard, but she's more than that."

"Are those...wings?" Her dad asked.

"Yep." Ruby turned her head back as best as she could with Cerise wrapped around her. "We've all agreed that she's a dragon."

"Wow." Her dad blinked and leaned back in his chair. The corners of his lips raised. "What? Having one for a big sister wasn't enough for you?"

Yang turned her Scroll back to herself. "I'm right here you know." She turned the Scroll back to Ruby.

Their dad laughed then focused back on Ruby. "So what's the problem here? Looks like you've got a new friend."

Ruby turned back and bit her lower lip. "Unless we can somehow get her back to Patch, we have to feed her ourselves right now."

"That doesn't sound too hard. How much can she eat?"

"You know those big fish bundles from the Hi Dee Deli? She ate an entire package before I could blink."

Her dad slumped in his chair. "Oh. That is a problem"

* * *

POV: Ozpin

Professor Ozpin reviewed the latest reports handed to him by Glynda. "As you can see," his second in command said, "the concentration of Grimm in the Emerald Forest had dropped significantly in the past twenty-four hours. Expeditions professors had planned for today have had to be postponed or moved to Forever Fall. I haven't seen a drop this significant since the days before the last Grimm siege ten years ago."

"You believe this could be a prelude for an attack?" Ozpin asked, though he had his own theory on the matter.

"I think we should at least be cautious and warn the Huntsmen that guard the city if they haven't noticed already. If there is an attack, we can be ready."

"It would do us well to be cautious. Will you notify the defenders?"

"I will when I return to my office."

The intercom on Ozpin's desk buzzed. "Professor Ozpin, Ruby Rose is here to see you."

This was different. Occasionally team leaders would visit for one reason or another, usually to clear their teams for missions beyond their team's level. Ruby had yet to do so, not that it stopped her team in the past from going on unsanctioned missions. Ozpin flicked his eyes to Glynda. "We are almost done here," she said.

Ozpin pressed the button for the intercom. "Send her up." He took his finger off the intercom. "What else do you have for me?"

"Two fourth year teams have earned enough credits to graduate one semester early. I have the paperwork right here." Glynda placed a folder on Ozpin's desk.

The headmaster opened it and took a look through the teams. Teams CLOD and ISSS, both far ahead of their compatriots. All credits were in order, and they had proven successful on multiple missions, both school assigned and freelance. "Do they know graduating early will disqualify them from the Tournament?"

"They are aware, and they all have reasons for not entering, whether financial or otherwise."

"Very well." Ozpin signed on the dotted line. "Remnant has received eight more outstanding Huntsmen." He handed the folder back to Glynda.

"They will be glad to hear that." Glynda nodded.

The elevator beeped and the doors opened. Ruby stepped out, oddly with a backpack around her shoulders. Another first. "Miss Rose. This is a surprise."

"It's kind of one for me too." Ruby smiled, but it was forced. Her eyes flicked to Glynda and her smile disappeared altogether. She appeared even smaller than she usually did.

"Something from your assignment in the Forest last night?" Glynda asked.

"Yeah, but not in the way you're probably thinking." Ruby knelt down and took the backpack off. She grabbed the zippers on the top of the bag, but didn't open it. She looked between both professors. "Promise you won't freak out?"

"You have my word," Ozpin said, with Glynda saying much the same thing.

Ruby bit her lip and unzipped her bag. She pulled the top apart, but didn't reach inside. "It's okay, Cerise. You can come out now."

A flash of red shot out of the bag. It hid behind Ruby and hissed at the bag. Ozpin rose from his chair and placed his hands flat on his desk. _It couldn't be.  
_  
"Miss Rose," Glynda said in a voice a step off a growl, "what is that?"

Ruby shrunk even more. "We think a dragon."

"And this...dragon came from the Emerald Forest?" Ozpin asked.

"Her egg did." Ruby scratched the dragon's head, drawing out a purr. "She hatched late last night. Scared the rest of my team half to death." She winced. "If you've heard about my team making noise last night, it was that. Anyway, she hasn't wanted to leave my side since she hatched." The dragon looked around Ruby and raised her neck. She trotted out from beside Ruby and to the window. "Except for right now."

Ozpin watched the dragon's progress. She reached the reached the window and gave another strange purr. Her neck and wings raised. She raced from one end of the office to the other, much like a kitten would do. Once she returned to her original spot, she turned to Ruby and chirped repeatedly at her.

"Not now, Cerise," Ruby said sadly. She walked forward and picked the dragon up. "I promise, when you get bigger and you can take care of yourself, you can go outside." The dragon's wings dropped, then she climbed onto Ruby's shoulder and looked outside again.

"You plan on keeping your new pet here?" Glynda crossed her arms.

"Where else can she go?" Ruby asked. "I don't want her going outside. I don't know how she'll act around crowds of people. I don't know how _people_ will act around _her._ She's too small to protect herself." Ruby wrapped a hand around the dragon's back. "At least in my room, my team can give her food and keep her safe."

"And when she gets too big?"

Ruby winced. "Hopefully that won't happen for a while."

Ozpin weighed his options. He likely knew more about these creatures than Ruby did. This dragon could be a boon to Ruby and her team in more ways than one, but with what recently claimed a cave in the forest, would Ruby be a target? "Very well."

"What?" Ruby blinked at Ozpin, and Glynda glared at him. "Just like that."

"As long as...Cerise behaves herself, she will be welcome here for her own protection."

Ruby's face lit up like the sun, just like her mother's used to. "Thank you so much professor!" She bounced on her heels then returned her backpack. Cerise moaned then looked at the bag on the floor. She shrieked and jumped off Ruby's shoulder. She ran and hid behind Ozpin's desk. Ruby sighed and stuck a hand out to her dragon. "Come on, Cerise. Just one more time. After this, I promise you'll never go in here again." The dragon hung her head and walked forward with her tail dragging on the floor. She stepped into the bag and looked up.

Ruby leaned forward and kissed the dragon on the snout. She zipped up the bag and put the straps over her shoulders. "Thank you for your time, professors." She stood up and smiled at Ozpin and Glynda. She walked to the elevator and stepped inside.

As soon as the doors closed, Glynda turned on Ozpin. "I know Miss Rose is a special case, but this is too much. If people find out we're allowing pets on campus, we'll be flooded with cats, dogs, parrots, and who knows what else that we'll be responsible for if something happens here."

Ozpin grabbed his mug and took a sip. "You remember Tenga, correct?"

Glynda groaned. "I will be lucky if I ever forget him." She blinked and faced the elevator. "Wait...No. That's impossible. No one has a Semblance like that."

"If he is to be believed, it's not through a Semblance." Ozpin sat back down and picked up his Scroll. "This may also be the reason Grimm activity is down." He pressed a button on his Scroll and a holographic green dragon appeared in the center of the room fighting off a Nevermore.

"What?" Glynda stared at the projection. "Where and when was this taken?"

"Last night by the cameras we have placed around the Emerald Forest." Ozpin stood up and joined Glynda. "It appears what he said has come true."

Glynda crossed her arms. "That bears the question. Is this the ally, or an enemy?"

* * *

**I know this is more of a filler chapter than anything, but some things pop up later and I'd rather not have people confused or anything like that.**


	5. Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

Sunday, August 9

POV: Ruby

Ruby stared out her dorm window at the courtyard below, waiting for Yang's signal. They were waiting for the courtyard to be clear, and it being around midnight the day before exams started, it would not be much longer.

Ruby heard Cerise quietly rumble behind her. She turned around to look at her now large dragon. Cerise had grown to the size of a large dog in only a week. They just couldn't store the amount of food to feed Cerise in their small food ran out two days before, and team RWBY had to continually sneak large portions of food from the cafeteria. The floor continually creaked beneath her now considerable weight. Spikes started growing all the way along her spine except for one spot just behind her shoulders. Her scales were no longer soft to rub, they were sharp and easily cut skin. Claws that couldn't scratch the floor now gouged large chunks in the floor with every step. Yet despite all her physical changes, Cerise retained the personality she had when she first hatched.

"Cerise, you have to keep quiet," Ruby whispered. "People are sleeping, and we don't want to wake them up. Especially tonight." Cerise walked up to Ruby and nuzzled her.

Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her bed. "What's taking Yang so long? We should have had Cerise out of here twenty minutes ago."

"Weiss, she's making sure the coast is clear. It's not like she can clear the courtyard without attracting attention." Ruby looked back outside to find Yang. Thankfully she walked to their pre-arranged place and held up the palm of her hand with three fingers up. Ruby looked back at Blake, who had all four of her ears trained on the door and hallway beyond. The Faunus just nodded. The team leader locked eyes with Cerise. "Okay, let's get you outside."

Weiss and Ruby opened the window as far as it could go and carefully removed the screen. Ruby made a last minute once over of the courtyard and decided there wouldn't be a better time. She waved Cerise over. The dragon slowly walked over to the open window and poked her head out. She looked at Ruby as if to ask permission to fly out. "Fly to the forest, I'll meet you there." The dragon nodded and jumped outside for the first time.

Back in the dorm room, Ruby felt her dragon's elation about being airborne. She wanted nothing more than to be up in the air with her, but Cerise couldn't carry Ruby's weight on the ground, much less the air. Ruby jumped out the window herself and followed her dragon on the ground. Yang gave her a thumbs up as passed by.

Cerise flew high over Beacon as planned then angled toward the Emerald Forest at full speed. Ruby had to activate her semblance in order to keep up. Even though it was the dragon's first time flying, she seemed to be doing a decent job at staying straight and keeping level, that is until a gust of wind blew her off balance. Cerise recovered quickly, but dropped to only a few dozen feet above the ground.

The pair entered the forest and Ruby took out her Scroll. Ozpin had located a safe cave in the forest relatively close to Beacon, but didn't have much student or Grimm traffic. Cerise would stay there until Ozpin had a place on campus cleared out for Cerise. A stream also passed nearby, so water wouldn't be a problem. Several animals also used the stream as a water source, so that took care of the food issue. At Cerise' current size, the only predator in the area she had to worry about was Grimm, and they only attacked humans and Faunus...unless otherwise threatened.

Even though the area was safe, Ruby still worried for Cerise. This was her first time out of the dorm room, and it was in Grimm territory. There was also the distinct possibility that someone could find her and blow the whole secret, despite Ozpin's claims otherwise. It's not that she wanted to keep her dragon a hidden, but she didn't know what kind of crowd a dragon could attract. For all she knew, dragon scales could be extremely valuable like some of those books said, and they could attract some less than friendly people.

Cerise started angling toward the cave and landed as Ruby entered the clearing before it. The dragon looked into the cave and sniffed inside. She turned to look Ruby in the eyes. "I know it's not as comfortable as in the room, but I believe this is where dragons usually live," she wrapped her arms around Cerise' neck. "We both know you were outgrowing the room and you were eating absolutely everything. You just couldn't stay in there.

"Out here though you don't have to worry about breaking anything. You can eat as much as you want, drink as much as you want, pretty much do anything you want." Ruby pulled back to look her dragon in the eyes. They were filled with sadness, the first time that emotion was ever seen there. "This is only temporary. From the sound of it you'll be back on campus before next semester. I won't be far away. If you need me you just have to ask. Just, please don't walk up to anybody that isn't me, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ozpin, or Professor Goodwitch. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Cerise' sadness rolled off her in waves, destroying Ruby's resolve. She broke and pulled her dragon close again. They stood together for several minutes before Ruby came to her senses. "That's not fair," she croaked as she pulled away. "Sending be your sadness, I don't know how to control it." The red dragon chuckled then walked alone into the cave. Ruby turned back to Beacon and didn't look back; she knew she'd either spend the night in the cave or take her dragon back with her.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron lay under Nalia's wing and stared up at the cracked moon. At least he could say with certainty they were not in Alagaësia. They were in a land called Remnant in the kingdom of Vale. In the many history books Aaron read, there were no mentions of magic, dragons, urgals, dwarves, or elves. This place did however contain Faunus, almost human people with animalistic features, and the creatures of Grimm. Both had been at war with humans at some point in history, but only the war with the Grimm still lived.

The Rider sighed. Humans always seemed to make another race mad. "What do you think of all this?" he asked Nalia.

She huffed a plume of smoke into the air. _Not much different from the last time you asked. I don't know who we can trust, and I have no idea who down there would take the egg._

Aaron thought back to the 'newspaper' he read back in the city. "It could be this 'White Fang' criminal group."

_No, they're too focused on whatever this Dust is. They wouldn't worry about something that looks like a shiny rock._

"Rubies are just shiny rocks, though the egg is way bigger than a regular ruby." Aaron felt his dragon's opinion change instantly. Nalia rumbled behind him "Now you want me to go investigate them?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

_Yes. Even if they don't have the egg, they're still criminals. Take what you can from them and use it for our advantage._

Aaron released a humorless chuckle. "Should I leave anything for the locals to use against them?"

_If it doesn't endanger us, yes. We should at least be friendly if we're staying here._

"Even if they would shoot us out of the sky?"

_If we give them reason not to, they won't._

"You have more faith in these people than I do." Aaron sighed. "Alright, I'll start looking into the them in the morning. Until then, let's get some sleep. No reason to stay up any longer."

_At least you've gotten sleep. _Nalia rumbled sadly as she settled down for the night. _I haven't been able to since the egg disappeared._

"Don't give up hope. It could very well be in good hands."

* * *

Friday, August 14

POV: Ruby

"It's feels so good to be done!" Ruby yelled while walking and punching her fists into the air.

"Yeah, one down, seven more to go!" Yang cheered.

"And the moment's gone." Ruby let her arms fall. She felt Cerise' amusement even from three miles away. In only a couple weeks, the pair was able to feel each other's minds over an incredible distance. They hadn't been out of the other's head for three days. Though Ruby welcomed the company, it did get awkward at times.

Team RWBY walked down the road to the city to celebrate the semester's end. The only thing they really had planned was to go get something to eat. Weiss insisted that it was her treat, and no one argued. After lunch, though, they just wanted to walk the city and do whatever peaked their interest.

The walk to the city was nothing special, except for the fact that there were more students on the road, and Percy could be seen chasing his team and cussing them out, while his team was keeping something, likely his sword/pen, Riptide, from him. Everyone had their own end of semester plans and most of them involved something in the city. It would mean the streets would be packed, but people tended to be more relaxed after exams than before.

"When we're done in the city, you guys want to take a hike in the forest?" Ruby asked, knowing her friends would get her meaning.

"Might as well," Weiss said, trying and failing to hide a smile.

"We haven't gone out there in a while. I think it would be refreshing," Blake replied.

"You know my answer sis," Yang slapped Ruby's shoulder. "I'm always up for a jaunt out there."

Ruby felt Cerise' happiness roll off her. She hadn't seen the rest of the team since she left for the cave. It was so infectious Ruby's already wide grin grew even more. "Sounds like a plan! I already have—"

A building a few blocks away interrupted Ruby by exploding. Smoke quickly rose into the air. No debris seemed to be heading toward team RWBY, but they dove for cover just in case. The four teammates locked eyes with each other, reading their expressions. They nodded in unison and ran to the remains of the building. Though they wouldn't be able to do much against any fire the explosion caused, they would be able to get people out if there were any.

The four reached the building as several people were stumbling out. People already lined the street across from the building. No police or firemen were in the crowd though. Weiss ran up to someone who came out of the building. "Is there anyone still in there?" she asked calmly.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just got out of there as quick as I could."

Ruby looked at the burning building. She couldn't decide if it was worth the risk running in there if there were no people inside. Blake walked over her and whispered in her ear, "You can do some weird things with your mind now. You think you can tell if anyone's in the building?"

"But that's only with Cerise. Who says that it will work here?"

"You did something with us last week. You could do it again."

Ruby shivered at the thought. She still felt overwhelmed from when she accidentally broadcast her thoughts into her teammate's heads. Still, it was the fastest way to tell if someone was inside. Ruby concentrated her thoughts and extended her mind out like she did with Cerise. She felt the people around her first, then the area she could feel expanded. There were so many people around her, almost all of them were either scared or held a morbid fascination in the fire. The only three in the crowd that were determined more than anything came with Ruby from Beacon. All the feelings almost overwhelmed her, but she pressed forward to the building.

Eventually her mind's radius met the building. At first Ruby felt nothing inside. She was about to pull back when she felt three people in the building. One of them seemed to notice her, recoiled, and did something with his mind that made it impossible to read him. Ruby pulled back into herself and gasped. She didn't realize she was off balance until Blake grabbed her shoulders. "There are three people still inside," she managed to say. "They're on their way out already."

Sure enough, two people stumbled out of the building, the guy with a little girl over his shoulder. They made their way across the street to the crowd who started clapping for them. The guy set the girl down and looked her in the eyes and said something to her. Ruby belatedly realized that the guy was the one who ran her over a few weeks ago. He stood up and started walking away from the explosion site, and his route carried him right past Ruby.

She couldn't believe it. This guy saved two lives and he just walked away like it was nothing. She couldn't contain herself anymore. "You are so cool!"

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron jumped and looked at the source of the praise. The same girl he knocked over his first day in town was beaming up at him. Her black-haired friend though looked more embarrassed than anything. "Umm, excuse me?" A cry of 'Get the fuck back here!' could be heard in the background, as a guy with black hair and sea green eyes chased a group of people who were tossing something between each other.

"You just carried a girl out of a burning building like you do it every day!" The girl in red was practically jumping up and down with excitement while the black-haired girl frantically gestured to two other people in the crowd.

_Nalia,_ Aaron called out,_ a little help please?_

_I think not,_ she mentally chuckled._ I want to see how this plays out._

_Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile. _Aaron returned his attention to the excited girl in front of him while trying to think of a convincing lie. "Well, I grew up around smoke and fire. I've learned the way the smoke spread to find where the fire is. When I heard voices inside after the explosion, I couldn't just sit out here and do nothing."

Aaron immediately regretted his choice of words. "Wow! You grew up doing that? How many times have you done it?" The red girl's eyes sparkled with curiosity and awe. They practically radiated off of her. It took Aaron a few seconds to realize it actually did. He immediately sealed his mind to the onslaught.

_Nalia, I think I've found our lone magician._ About a week earlier, Aaron felt a magician's mind running through the forest late at night. He immediately sealed his mind off and hid in case he or she was hostile. Looking at the girl now proved she wasn't an enemy.

The red girl's four friends looked at her with concern. The blonde girl placed a hand on the red's shoulder. "Calm down Ruby, no need to get too excited." The girl now identified as Ruby looked at the yellow haired girl in shock, then visibly calmed down.

Sirens sounded over the commotion, signaling the arrival of emergency services. "I should probably get out of here before the cameras show up," Aaron said.

"And why do you need to do that?" the white-haired girl asked. Aaron racked his brain to remember her name…Weiss.

"I don't need them to make a hero out of me. The last thing I need is public attention." Aaron took off down a side alley, out of sight of the police that pulled up to the scene. He looked back to see Ruby and her group walking after him. The Rider scowled. _How do I get rid of them?_

_Maybe you shouldn't,_ Nalia broke in. _They could very well be friendly. You have said we need to make connections while here, and you haven't made any yet._

_They're young. From what I've seen here, that might not mean much, but they can't be very skilled._

Nalia mentally huffed. _We have already seen more than they are likely to in a lifetime, and I believe you are younger than three of them. I don't believe either of us look like we have that kind of experience._

Aaron sighed and waited for the girls to catch up. "I'm not going to get rid of you four, am I?" he asked as they reached him.

"Nah," the blonde girl said. "I get the feeling interesting things follow you wherever you go. I'm Yang by the way." She stuck out a hand. A cry of 'YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!' came from the voice of the black-haired guy from earlier.

After a second's hesitation, Aaron shook it. "I'm Aaron." The official introductions made the rounds, with Blake being the only one he still didn't know the name of. "Well now that that's out of the way, we should get going. Someone in that crowd is going to talk and they'll be looking for me."

The group left the alley through the other side and blended into the foot traffic. The chance of being recognized decreased by the minute. Aaron forced himself to calm down. He still couldn't believe he fell into that trap the White Fang set up for him. Just as he thought he was onto something, the criminal organization obviously found him out and planned to kill him, and other humans in the process. Maybe he shouldn't have been investigating on location and instead searched with his mind. At least they couldn't detect that.

"So," Ruby broke the silence, "we were on our way to go get something to eat. You want to join us?" She got an icy glare from Weiss, but Ruby either didn't notice or ignored it.

Aaron shrugged. "Might as well, my other plans for the day kind of fell apart with the media circus back there." He was still getting used to some of the phrases used in Vale. He hoped he didn't speak out of place.

"Yes!" Ruby said while pumping a fist. She was extremely energetic, even for someone as young as her. Aaron threw a questioning glance at Blake, hoping she knew what it meant. She just shrugged. Weiss' glare now rested on Aaron. He didn't need to be in her head to know that she wasn't paying for him. The Rider simply tapped a pocket where his wallet rested. It appeared some stares were the same whether here or Alagaësia.

The group reached the restaurant shortly after. Aaron asked where each of the girls were from and they answered politely enough. Weiss still glared at him occasionally, for what Aaron couldn't even guess. Probably something in Aaron's word choice. When the waitress came to take their orders, Ruby quickly looked over her shoulder. A good portion of her normal good cheer disappeared.

As the conversation drew on, he found out that Ruby and Yang were sisters and they were all on the same team from Beacon Academy. Ruby lead team 'RWBY' and she was the youngest student at Beacon. Even though Aaron didn't know the customs of Remnant as well he wanted to, he still knew that the accomplishment was no small feat. She was a team leader, a good fighter going off what her friends said, and was apparently the only person in Vale able to expand her mind.

The last part made Aaron pause. Of the many thousands of people in the city, she was the only one able to spread her mind outside of her own head. She also wore gloves while at the table, like him. Aaron previously observed people with gloves taking them off while eating, presumably not to get them dirty. Ruby did not seem like the kind of person to wear gloves in public though. Weiss fit that position better than anyone at the table and her hands were bare from the beginning. _Could she be…?_

"So Aaron, where are you from?" Blake interrupted Aaron's thoughts.

"I'm from Vacuo," Aaron began reciting the lie he and Nalia came up with to help him fit in. "I'm in town to visit some family, and to help in a house search here. The place that blew up was one of the ideas."

The girls looked at him in shock. "You weren't in there when it happened were you?" Ruby asked.

"I was just down the street," Aaron lied. In reality, he accidentally triggered the bomb and barely shielded himself from the explosion. "Well, at least I can check one place of the list."

"You're taking this awfully well." Weiss narrowed her eyes. "And why would _you_ be searching for a home by yourself without your parents?"

Aaron chuckled without humor, and it probably sounded forced. He didn't expect that last question. "When you have the life I've had, you learn to make the best of a bad situation. To answer your second question, my parents thought it would be a better idea to split up and cover more ground." Just then the food arrived, and everyone's mood improved, especially Aaron's. Even though he illegitimately acquired a large sum of Lien, he mainly stuck to eating with Nalia back in their cave. He hadn't had an actual cooked meal of decent quality in over a year.

Ruby's normal good mood came back for a second, then she whipped her head around again. The table turned quiet, even taking into account they were all eating. Yang discretely took a look at her sister. Ruby slightly shook her head. Aaron recognized the look on her face, he wore it for most of the past three years. She felt she was being hunted. Aaron tried his best not to act like he saw the difference in the team leader, but after a third violent time of looking over her shoulder, he spoke up. "Ruby," she snapped around to face Aaron, trying to mask the anxiety on her face, "is everything alright?"

She threw on a fake smile and tried to shrug off the question. "Everything's fine. It's just-" Ruby's face contorted in agony and she gripped her left arm tightly. Everyone else at the table jumped out of their chairs and Yang ran to her sister's side. Ruby opened her eyes, and Aaron saw the pure panic in them. "Cerise," she mumbled. Then she bolted for the door. Once outside, she vanished in a red blur, leaving rose petals in her wake.

The rest of team RWBY looked at each other, as if debating what to do. "We have to go after her," Yang announced. Weiss dropped a bunch of Lien cards on the table then followed the other two out.

Aaron stood by the table trying to figure out what just happened. Ruby grabbed her arm as if it was cut, but there wasn't a drop of blood by the table or on the way to the door. She kept looking over her shoulder, like she was afraid of something, then she sped off in that direction. The panic in her eyes was genuine, but it wasn't for herself. Add to that the observations he made earlier. Lastly, the word, no, _name_ she said. "Cerise," Aaron whispered to himself.

It finally dawned on Aaron. He finally realized what was so special about Ruby the day they met. _Nalia,_ he called. _I don't think we have to look for the egg anymore._


	6. Oh

**The ancient language will be used now, but several words were never used in any of the books. I will be indicating its use through italics and quotation marks, just like pokeman1280 did. Here's an example: **_**"You Racist Bastard! I hate Irish music. Do I look like a leprechaun?"**_** Tell me if you know where that quote came from, as I'll be telling you at the end of the next chapter. I will write in the ancient language when a full phrase is available. I will not make up words. That would confuse everybody, me included. At least mostly for me.**

**Anyway, back to the story.**

* * *

Friday, August 14

POV: Ruby

Ruby ran through the forest toward her dragon. Back at the restaurant, she felt Cerise' worry, turned fear, turned panic. Shortly after that, a lance of pure pain raced up Ruby's arm, but it wasn't her own. Cerise was injured and projected her pain to Ruby, though assumingly unintentionally. Panic overtook Ruby and she rushed to defend her dragon.

Even though Ruby ran faster than ever before, it still took her far too long to reach her dragon. She tracked her dragon through her mind and eventually came to a clearing by a cliff-side not too far from her cave. Cerise clawed her way up the cliff and stared down at a large pack of Beowolves. Even though the dragon had grown incredibly in the past two weeks, even the smallest Grimm out massed Cerise. Ruby finally saw the damage the creatures caused. Four long and deep slashes ran the length of her front right leg. Similar scars lay on her shoulders and wings, though those didn't seem as bad. Cerise finally noticed Ruby and looked in her direction. The dragon whimpered at the one she knew her whole life.

Something snapped in Ruby. A rage she didn't know existed boiled to the top. She whipped out Crescent Rose and lunged at the Beowolves. Her weapon sliced off the heads of two with one swing and eviscerated another three before the rest of the pack even noticed her. The mob slowly encircled Ruby and ignored the injured dragon perched a dozen feet up the cliff.

Ruby just snarled at the dark wolves that surrounded her. They hurt her dragon, and they were going to pay for it. The wolves figured strength in numbers would enable them to bring down the huntress in training. Eight if the creatures rushed Ruby at the same time. She pointed Crescent Rose at the ground and fired herself upward. While in the air, she shot the eight Grimm that rushed her, and continued firing at the pack below her. When she ran out of bullets in the weapon, she dropped on top of the pack's Alpha, impaling it at the same time.

The remaining Beowolves stared at Ruby, and she glared back with an intensity only matched by Yang when someone touches her hair. "Who's next?" Ruby growled. The remnants of the pack charged Ruby all at once. She fired Crescent Rose behind her and launched herself at the horde, cutting through the first ranks like butter. Ruby twirled her weapon around her and dismembered and decapitated several. At such close range, even a careless backswing would kill or at least injure a Grimm. One of the creatures managed to get a swipe at Ruby, but she quickly cut off its hand then removed its head.

Eventually the pack of Beowolves all lay dead or dying at Ruby's feet. Still, she searched the trees for any more. A soft growl came from her left. She looked at the source and saw a Beowolf trying to claw its way across the ground to attack Ruby. She walked up to the dying creature; Crescent Rose ready. Ruby stopped just out of the Grimm's reach and raised her weapon over her head. "Don't. Touch. My. Dragon." She drove the tip of her scythe into the creature's head.

With all the Grimm dead, Ruby started to calm herself down. She heard another whimper from the cliff. All the anger drained from Ruby and she looked up at her dragon. Cerise was making her way down the cliff with only three sets of claws, keeping her injured leg close to her body. About halfway down she lost grip and fell the remaining six feet landing flat on her back, driving her back spikes into the ground.

Ruby quickly folded up Crescent Rose and ran to her dragon's side. She helped Cerise flip back to her feet, leaving massive gouges in the ground. Luckily, the spikes didn't look damaged. Ruby ran to Cerise' injured leg and looked closer at the injury. The slashes dug all the way to the bone. Blood poured out in buckets, soaking the ground beneath them. Ruby knew it was bad, but she didn't know if it was enough to make Cerise bleed out. She tore off her cloak and wrapped it around the injury as tight as she could. Still, it wasn't enough. Red dragon's blood oozed out of the hood.

Cerise whimpered again and looked Ruby in the eyes. This was bad. Very bad. "We have to get you to a doctor," Ruby mumbled. She positioned herself just behind Cerise' injured leg. The pair walked like that for a few minutes, luckily with no more Grimm waiting in ambush. The dragon's bulk wore Ruby down quickly, but she pressed forward. She didn't care about what injuries she obtained from the work. Her dragon came first.

Cerise collapsed under her own weight, nearly taking Ruby with her. The young huntress tried to help her dragon back to her feet, but it was no use. Cerise just whimpered weakly. Her eyes started to glaze over. Apparently the injury _was _that bad. Ruby whipped out her scroll to contact the emergency services of Beacon, cursing herself for not thinking of it earlier. At that point, they were the only ones that could save Cerise. Unfortunately, it was split in half, most likely the one hit a Beowolf managed to land.

Ruby looked Cerise in the eyes. Her dragon was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it. She threw her arms around Cerise' neck and started crying. "It's all my fault," she whispered. "I should have kept you closer to the city. I should been here sooner. I should have kept you in the room until wherever Ozpin would put you was ready. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She kept up like this for several minutes. Her own energy drained off her rapidly.

"Ruby!" a voice filtered through the trees. "Ruby where are you?"

Ruby's spirits lifted slightly. "Yang! I'm over here!" she called at the top of her lungs. If the rest of the team was with Yang, maybe, just maybe, they could carry Cerise to Beacon where she could hopefully be treated. Sure enough, three sets of footsteps stomped through the trees. The rest of team RWBY froze when they saw the state of their teammate and her dragon.

"Ruby, what…" Weiss began to say.

"We have to get her to Beacon!" Ruby interrupted. "They're the only ones that can help her!"

"Have you called for help?" Weiss asked with slight hesitation in her voice.

"Can't. My scroll's busted."

Weiss immediately took out her own scroll and dialed a number. "Ozpin knows, right?" Ruby nodded frantically. After a few seconds Weiss got an answer. "Cerise is injured. We can't move her from here on our own. We need a Bullhead or something to get her out of here." She paused and put on a very confused face. "Okay, thanks." She ended the call and looked at Ruby. "He said he's already aware of the situation and a team is on the way."

"Really? How?" Ruby didn't stop to tell anyone about what happened. How'd Ozpin know?

"Ruby," Blake called while looking up at a tree. "There are cameras out here." Ruby looked up at the tree Blake was looking at and saw the camera almost hidden behind branches. It made sense to have them out in the forest with the initiations held out here. Also, if any Grimm came too close to Beacon they would be spotted. But...Beacon was way closer. Did Ozpin know about this before it happened?

Ruby shook her head. No time to blame. If help didn't come fast, Cerise would bleed out.

Cerise whimpered again and Ruby rubbed her scaly head. "Don't worry, help will be here soon."

"Sooner than you think, Ruby," Another voice said from the trees. Ruby snapped her head to the direction of the voice while the rest of her team formed a line in front of her and Cerise. The person the voice belonged to stepped out of the shadows and into the midday light. Ruby gasped. Aaron stood in front of the group and was staring at Cerise.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron stood at the edge of the clearing the girls set up in. Yang, Blake, and Weiss rested in defensive stances, while Ruby had her arms wrapped around her dragon's neck. Cerise—or at least Aaron thought that was the dragon's name—looked up at him in terror. If the older Rider was right, he was the only the fifth human the dragon had ever seen, and Ruby would have preferred to keep it that way.

"Why did you follow us?" Weiss growled.

Aaron looked over at Weiss with the most neutral face he could manage. "Ruby was obviously terrified of something," he said. "I had my suspicions; I just wish I was wrong." He turned to look Ruby in the eyes. "I can help her."

Something changed in Ruby's eyes. She wanted to trust Aaron but wasn't sure if it was the best idea. She tightened her hold on Cerise' neck at the same time. Blake spoke what was on everyone's mind, "How do we know we can trust you?"

Aaron mentally switched to the ancient language while still keeping eye contact with Ruby. _"I can help your dragon. I shall not harm her in any way."_

The fear in Cerise' eyes vanished immediately. Ruby cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, like she had heard those words before, but couldn't remember them exactly. The other girls only got angrier. Yang's bracelets extended into full gauntlets. "Speak Vytalian!" she demanded.

Cerise looked up at Ruby with pleading eyes. What happened next made Aaron wish he wasn't paying as close of attention to the dragon's condition. _Ruby,_ Cerise thought to her Rider.

Ruby visibly recoiled in hearing her dragon's voice for most likely the first time. Aaron kept his reaction to himself. _I should not have heard that. _He thought to himself.

Nalia sent her disappointment over their mental link. _Under normal conditions I would throw you off a cliff for listening in on another's first words, but these aren't normal conditions._

Ruby flinched again, like Cerise just said something else, but Aaron already retreated from the small dragon's mind. The young huntress looked over the older Rider like she was making sure he wasn't a threat. She eventually locked eyes with Aaron. "Do what you can," she whispered.

Her teammates looked at their leader in surprise. "Ruby, are you sure?" Yang asked.

"I think Cerise trusts him...somehow. That's enough for me." Ruby focused her eyes on Aaron. "Please, help her."

Aaron simply nodded and approached the dragon. Weiss grabbed his arm as he passed. "Leave your sword with me." The Rider barely glanced at the white girl as he unhooked his scabbard from his belt and handed it to the Weiss, sword still inside.

Aaron crossed the rest of the distance unhindered and Ruby stepped back to give him room. He knelt by the injured leg and turned to look the young dragon in the eye. "This will itch a lot, but don't attempt to scratch it," he soothed. Though he couldn't see Ruby, he felt her gaze boring into his back. There was no doubt in the Rider's mind that she would attack him if he so much as touched a scale the wrong way.

_Nalia, lend me your strength,_ Aaron called out.

_What's mine is yours,_ Nalia immediately sent her energy to her Rider.

Aaron raised a hand and went to work. First he purposely made his hand glow so the girls would know he was actually doing something. They all gasped as they realized Aaron was no ordinary doctor. The Rider turned healer used a spell to identify the damage behind the hood. It was extensive, but he reattached severed limbs before. Compared to that, this was a cakewalk. Then again, Oromis coached him all the way through he while standing over his shoulder

Simple or not, it still took time to heal, and that was time Cerise might not have. Aaron worked quickly, rebuilding bone and stitching up muscles. Somehow the slashes missed all major blood vessels in the dragon's leg, which was probably the only reason she was still alive. For her part, Cerise lay nearly completely still, keeping her leg immobile while only twitching with her neck and head.

As the last cut in her leg formed back together, Cerise relaxed. Aaron immediately changed his focus from the leg to the wings. While not life threatening, if not tended to, the injuries could have a permanent impact on her flight skills. Those wounds closed up easily as they were less than an inch deep. Last he healed the superficial scratches on the rest of the dragon's body.

Aaron sighed as he finished his work. It was faster than expected, but the speed took a toll on his and Nalia's energy. They could still fight if needed, but only if it lasted only a few minutes. Prolonged engagements could be a problem.

As he was about to remove the Ruby's cloak from the previously injured leg, he hesitated. Most people in Vale had their signature look, and that hood seemed to be Ruby's. Aaron used some of his remaining energy to remove all of Cerise' blood from it. Then he unwrapped the make-shift tourniquet and inspected his work with his own eyes. The only indications of a wound were a few missing scales.

"All done," Aaron announced as he stood up. Ruby pushed him aside violently, then knelt by the former worst injury. She ran a finger down the line of missing scales and pulled it back only to find no blood on her hands. She looked up at Aaron in wonder. He just smiled and extended an arm that held Ruby's hood. "I believe this is yours?"

Ruby snatched her cloak from Aaron and felt all over. Again, there was not a drop of blood. She hesitantly put it on then turned to look her dragon in the eye. "How are you feeling, Cerise?" she asked. Cerise just hummed happily, though weakly.

"She'll need plenty of rest, food, and water," Aaron chipped in. "She'll be fully recovered in a few days."

Ruby looked up at Aaron with an odd expression. She knelt like that for a few seconds, then launched herself at the older Rider. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she repeated over and over.

Aaron expected the response, but not to this magnitude. Hesitantly he returned the hug as he figured out what to say. "I was just doing my duty. I'm sure you'd do the same thing if you could."

Ruby let go and beamed up at Aaron. "How did you learn to do that?" she asked. "How were you _able_ to do that?"

Aaron smiled; he was waiting for that question. He removed the glove he wore on his right hand and held it palm up so his gedwëy ignasia lay in full view. "I'm a Dragon Rider, like you." Ruby stared at the silver mark on his hand in shock. She removed the bloody glove on her left hand and looked at the similarity between their marks. They were practically identical.

"I hate to break this up, but we're about to have company," Yang announced, breaking the moment between the two Riders. Aaron snapped back to reality and stared out into the forest. A roar rolled over the trees, and not one from Nalia.

"Deathstalker," Weiss said as she readied her rapier. Almost as an afterthought, she threw Aaron his sword and scabbard. He caught the combo and reattached the sheath to his belt.

_Nalia, care to make an entrance?_ Aaron asked his dragon.

Her glee flowed over their connection like water. _I'm chasing this 'Deathstalker' right now. At least I have something to call these._ Soon the footfalls of the giant scorpion were felt through the ground. The girls of team RWBY formed up around Cerise as she couldn't fight. Aaron drew his sword, but only for show. Nalia killed several Deathstalkers in their short time in the Emerald Forest, though unfortunately they weren't edible.

Another roar assaulted the group's ears, and not one from a Grimm. Aaron smiled as the girls tensed up at the unfamiliar sound. "That wasn't a Grimm," Blake mumbled.

"Oh really? I thought it was a Beowolf cub," Yang joked.

Aaron chuckled, which drew strange looks from the rest of the group. "Blake was right," he said. "That wasn't a Grimm." The clearing darkened and everyone looked up in varying levels of amazement. "That's my dragon."

Nalia carried a Deathstalker without its tail in her claws. She back flipped and dove straight for the ground. The dragon picked up a considerable amount of speed before throwing the scorpion to the ground. It hit the dirt with the force of a stalactite from Farthen Dûr crashing to the ground. Nalia landed with much less force, but still enough to crush the remains of the black creature. For good measure, she tore off its head with her powerful claws.

Team RWBY froze in place, weapons aimed at Nalia. None of them moved except to look at each other. Nalia cocked her head and looked at the four huntresses in training. _Come on, I don't bite. Well, I won't anyway._

Yang, Blake, and Weiss looked at Nalia in surprise and lowered their weapons. Ruby, on the other hand, perked up. "You can talk too?"

Her teammates looked at their leader with even more surprise. "'Too?'" Weiss asked.

Ruby scratched her head. "Cerise said my name twice right before Aaron healed her. That's how I knew I could trust him."

Yang threw her arms up in defeat. "Okay, would someone please tell me what's going on?" she yelled.

Nalia chuckled. _That is a long story, yellow one-_

"-but now isn't the time or place for that," Aaron finished. "I don't want to be cut off by the healers that you called here."

The large green dragon hummed her agreement then looked at the small red dragon. Nalia walked over to Cerise and lowered her head to look the smaller dragon in the eyes. _It's nice to meet you Cerise Longtail, _she said.

"'Longtail?'" Ruby asked incredulously. "Shouldn't _I _get a say in her last name?"

Aaron chuckled. "A dragon's 'last name,' as you called it, is given by physical attributes or abilities. To add a few others, there are Brightscales, Razorclaws,' he nodded at his dragon, "and Nalia is a Quickwing."

"Quickwing?" Ruby turned to look at Nalia.

_I'm fast, and I had my first flight at only a few hours old. _Nalia sifted her attention to Ruby. _You're older than most new Riders, much stronger too._

Ruby blushed and turned away slightly. "Well, a few years at combat school will do that."

Nalia nodded and looked over at the three other girls in the clearing. _So you are Ruby's team?_

None of them spoke for a moment, still in shock from seeing a ferocious dragon turned into a gentle giant. Eventually Yang spoke up. "Yep, at least for the next three and a half years. Then we can get away from her."

Nalia reared back in surprise. She was about to mentally/verbally assault Yang when Ruby launched herself at her sister. "Get rid of me? Pfft! Good luck with that." That also surprised Nalia. She looked at Aaron for confirmation that their behavior was normal. He just shrugged. From the little time he knew these girls, he knew Ruby was energetic, just not how it manifests itself.

Something in the air caught Nalia's attention. She sniffed the air a few times and settled her gaze on Blake. She stood her ground despite the intense stare, but her face said that she was uncomfortable. Nalia cocked her head. _You aren't human._

Blake froze in place, as did the rest of her team. Eventually she sighed and untied the bow on her head, revealing two cat ears. "How did you know?" she asked.

_You smell similar to a werecat. _Nalia continued looking at the ears with interest. _Are they natural?_

"I'm a Faunus, what do you expect?" Blake asked suddenly on the defensive.

Nalia hummed in understanding. _I can think of a few elves who would be jealous of you._

"Elves?" Weiss scoffed.

"Jealous?" Blake's face brightened up.

"What's a werecat?" Yang asked, oblivious to the other two girls' questions.

Aaron laughed at the situation before him. "Elves and werecats are both races where we come from. From what I can tell, werecats are like your werewolves, but can change anytime and are mainly the size of house cats. The elves are graceful, good fighters, and frankly better looking than humans as a general rule. They aren't like ones who make toys and live in the North Pole."

The older Rider fixed his eyes on Blake. "The elves are so good looking because they can make themselves look however they want, typically what they think is the most beautiful. Many of them take the appearance of animals. Still, not many of them can make the extra body parts work because, well, there is a lot of stuff to reroute and reconnect for ears, tails and such to be functional. So, yeah, there would probably be some elves who would be jealous of all Faunus because they are born with appearances and abilities the elves can't replicate."

Blake blinked several times. "Oh. I...uh..."

Off to the side Yang snickered. "Sorry Ruby, looks like Aaron has a thing for the cat lady."

Aaron didn't think it was possible for Ruby to blanch with her pale skin, but she proved otherwise. "Yang!" she yelled while backhanding her sister. Blake just rolled her eyes while Weiss brought her hand up to her face.

Aaron was about to ask, 'Am I missing something here?', but the sudden appearance of a giant pillar of bright orange flames about a mile further into the forest cut him off.

_What was that?_ Nalia asked…

…only to be answered by a female voice coming from the same direction that the flames had come from saying, "ZACH! I WAS GOING TO KILL THAT ONE!"

A sound unfamiliar to Aaron rolled over the trees, coming from direction of the city. He turned to Nalia to see if she could see what made it. She craned her neck above the trees. _It's the healers,_ she said. _It took them long enough._

Aaron searched the ground for Cerise and found her watching the struggle between the sisters while lying next to Nalia. She appeared to be doing well, at least her eyes were open and alert. Still, the young dragon was recovering from massive blood loss, and no one can just walk it off. Ruby trusted the healers enough for them to come work on Cerise, but Aaron still wasn't sure.

The flying metal machine flew over the clearing and landed. Those inside didn't immediately jump out, which tipped Aaron off that something was wrong. If they were there for Cerise, why didn't they run to the small dragon's side?

Only one man left the transport and walked to meet Ruby. She met the man halfway. "Thanks for coming out and everything, but the situation's handled."

"We are aware of the situation, Miss Rose," the man said. "Our new orders are to escort you and him to Beacon. Professor Ozpin wishes to speak with both of you." He gestured over at Aaron.

The older Rider frowned. "What about our dragons?"

"He requests that they stay here for now until your meeting is over."

Ruby seemed taken aback. Aaron couldn't blame her. Her dragon was recovering from a mortal injury, and she was being asked to leave her. She looked back at Cerise with sad eyes. "But, she needs me," Ruby stuttered.

"We'll stay here until you get back Ruby," Weiss spoke up. "Nothing will get through us." Ruby stared at her teammate for a few seconds, like she was thinking it over. Eventually she nodded.

Aaron looked up at Nalia. "Find her some food." The dragon nodded then took off toward the mountain she called home for the last two weeks and the abundant wildlife that lived there. Aaron turned to Ruby and gestured to the transport. "Ladies first."

* * *

**Please, for the love of God, tell me something!**


	7. Secrets

Friday, August 14

POV: Aaron

The transport flew over the Emerald Forest at a pace that rivaled that of many Quickwings on Vroengard. Aaron stood by a door watching the trees roll by beneath them. Ruby stood on the other side staring at her feet. The older Rider looked at the younger with concern. Her emotions had been all over the place since he found everyone in the clearing. Now, she was equally likely to explode in rage as to collapse on the floor in depression. Still, as much as Aaron was concerned for Ruby, he was also glad she was at least beginning to realize what her dragon means to her.

They arrived at Beacon Academy faster than Aaron expected. Only five minutes after they left the clearing, the transport was settling down in front of the school. If Cerise was so close, why did it take the healers so long to get there? Also, if these people really were healers, where was the equipment necessary? Aaron knew he didn't know what most medical equipment of Remnant did, or even looked like, but surely they would have things to wrap wounds and dress them on the spot. He didn't see anything that looked like that.. Aaron concluded that his and Ruby's transport never was intended to treat Cerise.

_Something is definitely wrong here._ Aaron thought as he stepped out of the transport. Ruby jumped out and immediately started walking with purpose toward the center of Beacon. Her mood was made up now, she was furious. She stormed her way across the campus grounds, with Aaron keeping his distance behind her. About halfway to the tower at the center of the school, a group of four casually moved to intercept Ruby. "Hey Ruby, you're back," one of they said, "I thought we planned to-"

"Not now Jaune," Ruby growled. The other group just stared.

Aaron tried to walk past unnoticed, but at least one of the four saw him. "Who is that guy?" the one called Jaune asked his group as the Rider walked by.

"And why is Ruby acting so grumpy?" a female voice chipped in.

"I can't help but feel the two are related," the other woman said.

Aaron quickened his pace to catch up to Ruby. Several people around the courtyard watched the two with interest, probably the combination of Ruby's less than normal attitude and a new guy. As much as Aaron wanted to keep a low profile, that wasn't exactly possible anymore. He lost an egg that was found by a local and the hatchling was severely injured. Ruby and Cerise needed protection, and as much as he was able, instruction. Also, the people on the transport had seen two dragons in a land where there were none. They might be professional enough to not say anything, but Aaron didn't want to take that chance. Better to 'go public' on his own terms.

Ruby entered the tower and walked up to a pair of silver doors. She pushed a button by the side of them then crossed her arms, still in front of the door. Aaron raised an eyebrow at the sight. Why was she just standing there? Where were the handles on the doors? Soon a ding chimed, and the doors opened of their own accord. Ruby walked into the small room on the other side. She turned around and gave Aaron a strange look.

"What, you never seen an elevator before?" she asked with only a slight hint of her normal tone sneaking in.

Aaron walked into the 'elevator' and the doors closed behind him. Immediately after he felt himself moving upward at a surprising pace. "You have some strange magic here," he said. Ruby looked up at Aaron in confusion, then shook her head. Her anger was rising with the elevator. Soon it would spill over if she couldn't control it. Aaron remembered a time where his rage boiled over in a populated area. The result wasn't fun to deal with.

* * *

POV: Zach

**Earlier...**

Team Gray, his team, was walking around Beacon's campus, just minding their own business, reminiscing on good times in the field and resting after having fought a couple of Deathstalkers earlier, one of which Sakura was about to kill, before Zach destroyed it with a Fire Dragon's Roar, while Percy was still pissed about the game of keep away they had played with Riptide.

"Hey Zach, remember the whipped cream bomb during training?" Sakura asked. They all burst out laughing at the memory. They had made a whipped cream bomb and set it off next to Red Team's bunks in the barracks. Red Team was pissed, but had no clue who did it. As they were laughing, Zach noticed a Bullhead land and drop off one very angry Ruby and a stranger who he knew he would have recognized if he had seen him before. Ruby was storming over to Professor Ozpin's office, stranger in tow.

"I'll be right back guys. Ruby's pissed and I want to know why." He said, as he unfolded his two pairs of wings, one white and birdlike, the other black, tattered, and bat-like, and took off, cloaking as he did so via active camouflage. He overheard their conversation from outside the office, completely invisible the whole time.

The stranger stepped out of the elevator calmly, but Ruby exploded past him. "Why did you make us leave Cerise out there?" she yelled. Her anger poured off her like a waterfall, more literally than metaphorically.

The stranger looked at Ruby in shock. He put a calming yet firm hand on the Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, calm yourself," he said.

Ruby just shrugged off his hand. "You knew that Cerise was severely injured. That wasn't a medical Bullhead. They didn't even have any medical gear on there! Why didn't you send people who could actually help? You had cameras out there too! Why'd you let them get so close? Why didn't you tell me before it happened?"

Glynda contorted her own face in anger. "Mind your tongue, Miss Rose," she scolded. "Keep your emotions in your own head as well," She rubbed the top of her head like she had a headache.

"Calm down Glynda," Ozpin soothed as he stood from his chair. "Ruby has every right to be angry with me." He took a sip from his mug, then set it down on his desk. "I will say, Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck were dispatched as soon as I noticed what was happening, but you arrived just as they were leaving Beacon. I did have a medical transport being prepped at the same time as the one that picked you up. Which one I sent depended on him." Ozpin looked at the unknown individual.

Ruby stared up at the person in question, her rage redirected. The boy just stared back at the other man in confusion "Me?"

The other man nodded. "I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster if Beacon Academy. This is Glynda Goodwitch, my right-hand woman." Ozpin gestured to the woman in the room, who just nodded.

"I'm Aaron Benson, Rider of Nalia Quickwing," the now named Aaron responded. "Now, how do I fit into this?"

"You have been recorded since your arrival here two weeks ago, including when you healed your own dragon after it was ambushed by Deathstalkers and a Nevermore."

"'She,'" Aaron corrected as he crossed his arms. "So, you know when we came here, that I can heal severe injuries, and I'm guessing you know where we sleep at night. What else do you know about us?"

"I know you have been into the city on several occasions, I know you ran out of a bombed building, escorting one person out and carrying another over this morning," The man picked his mug up from his desk, took a small sip, and then looked Aaron in the eyes. "I know you aren't from Remnant."

Aaron blinked twice, but otherwise had no outward reaction. Ruby was listening to the conversation while trying not to explode again and calm herself down. "How is that possible?" she eventually asked.

"That's a long story, Ruby" Aaron sighed. "Most of it I will only speak with Nalia about. But I am not from Remnant."

Aaron, after looking unfocused for a second, then focused back on those in the room. "I'm from a land called Alagaësia. Nalia and I are members of the Dragon Rider order; defenders of the land from war, crime, and other disasters. To put forward a comparison to here, we're the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Alagaësia.

"We aren't exactly here by choice," Aaron continued slowly. "We were betrayed by several of our own. I don't know the details since we were away from our island at the time, but our Order fell in a matter of hours." Aaron looked at his feet and dropped his voice to a whisper, one that I could hear thanks to my retarded hearing being powerful enough to hear thoughts when I want it to. "As far as we know, we're the only ones left."

Ruby's anger completely vanished, Glynda gaped, while Ozpin just nodded in sympathy.

"We've been running for three years. Somewhere along the line we found a way to leave Alagaësia behind. We intended to find help from another country, or at least other Riders to bring back, but now that we're here I know there is no easy way to get back."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Ruby asked.

Aaron scoffed. "It's not exactly something I want people knowing, and really, would you have believed me before the clearing?" Ruby just looked down at her feet and mumbled something that I, somehow, didn't catch, likely because I was paying more attention to Aaron.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ozpin said, "but now we need to talk about what to do now."

Aaron looked at the older man. "The way you say that sounds like you already have an idea."

"This part is for both of you, or rather, your dragons," Ozpin looked at both riders in the room. Ruby immediately looked up with a mixture of hope and skepticism in her eyes. Aaron just recrossed his arms. "There is a warehouse that has been cleaned out in expectation of building of a new dorm building in its place for the next school year. However, now I feel if the space would be better served by housing your dragons."

Both of them looked at Ozpin in surprise. "Yes!" Ruby blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth and recomposed herself. "I mean, that would be very much appreciated."

"What about me?" Aaron asked Beacon's headmaster.

"I understand that you also need a place to stay, but what I have to offer you comes at a price," Ozpin said.

"The only way I can get you a place to stay is for you to attend Beacon, as a student."

Aaron was clearly surprised again, but not as much as the Red Reaper beside him. She looked back and forth between Ozpin and Aaron. "What?" she asked either one of them.

"You would be treated like any other student," he continued, "and as such you will need to go through an initiation trial before you start classes. If you fail, though, there is not much else I can do."

Aaron took some time to think, then turned his attention to the headmaster. "We accept, and thank you for your offer." Ruby beamed up at the other Rider. She could barely contain herself if the emotions she put out were any indicator. Ozpin merely smiled while Glynda wore a slight scowl. Apparently the second in command of Beacon didn't approve.

"I am glad to hear it," Ozpin stated. "There is an open room in the dorms currently. I'm sure Miss Rose can show you the way."

Ruby looked up at the headmaster. "Um, me?"

"Room 315. I'm sure you know the way. The keys will be waiting for you with my secretary downstairs." Ruby's eyes brightened up even more and looked up at Aaron expectantly, which kind of unnerved him. Ozpin picked up a Scroll from his desk. "It looks like your dragons are on their way here right now." The two of them immediately turned back to the elevator and entered it. "Oh, and Aaron, welcome to Beacon." The elevator doors closed, and the box started to descend.

Zach went back to his team and told them what he found out. Having dealt with crazier shit, like the gods, this hardly even phased any of them. They then hear a roar roll over the campus, and saw a small green dragon, at least, compared to dragons from Earthland such as Igneel and the biggest pain in their asses, Acnologia. Students ran outside to see what made that roar, several with weapons drawn. Team JNPR was among them. "Uh, Ruby, what's going on here?" Jaune asked, a hand on the pommel of his sword.

Ruby just smiled up at him. "Well, a friendly dragon just landed,"

Jaune looked at Ruby in confusion. "Friendly? How can you know?"

A small red-scaled head poked out from behind the green dragon. Cerise out a soft, high pitch roar and jumped off the larger dragon's back. Ruby's face lit up again. "That's how." She started running to her dragon, who was doing the same thing. The two met, and due to Cerise' larger mass, she tackled Ruby to the ground.

If students didn't have their weapons drawn before, they did now. Well, all but team Gray. All drawn weapons were pointed at the red dragon. No one in the crowd moved, and many held their breath. Only a few looked up when the doors on the Bullhead opened up and the rest of team RWBY stepped out. They froze in place staring at Ruby and Cerise. Yang burst out into laughter, startling everyone on the audience. "Hey Aaron, does this happen a lot?" she called.

"Until they're about six months old," he responded as he walked up to the green dragon, presumably his. The tension in the air was slowly draining away. He heard parts of several conversations, a good chunk of them wondering why Ruby's team wasn't coming to her aid.

Aaron put a hand on the green dragon's snout, and she hummed low and long. When Aaron turned back around, most people lowered their weapons, those that still had them raised were unsure. Aaron smiled.

Ruby crawled out from beneath Cerise and held her dragon's head in both hands, looking into her eyes. Ruby's facial expression changed every few seconds. Eventually Ruby touched her forehead to Cerise' snout. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered.

Aaron took a closer look at the young dragon. Cerise was panting and her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Aaron put a hand on the other Rider's shoulder. "Ruby, we should probably get to the warehouse," he said.

Ruby nodded and stood up. "The warehouse is on the other side of campus. Ozpin left the keys with your other things. Let's get moving." With that, the Riders and dragons slowly made their way through the crowd. People stared but got out of the way. The other members of team RWBY formed a small honor guard around Cerise. Team Gray silently decided to help team RWBY and walked with them about 10 feet from the smaller dragon, with a hand ready to grab a weapon at a moment's notice and beat the shit out of anyone who would dare to try and hurt the dragon.

After about 15 seconds of it, Ruby asked "Hey Zach, what are you guys doing?"

"Making sure no one tries anything stupid with the dragons. Is there an issue with that? If so, just let us know and we'll leave you guys be." He replied, not taking his eyes off of the people around them. Not that they could see his eyes through his black visor anyways.

"Oh, no, there's no problem with it. I was just curious." Ruby said, somewhat rambling. Fuckin' social awkwardness.

_Several of the ones in strange armor smell like dragons. Why?_ A voice in his head asked. He looked at everyone else in the group to make sure he wasn't hearing things. Of course he wasn't. The Fates hate him, so why would he be imagining it.

"I'll explain when we get to a secure location. I swear. Just not in public." he said, making sure that only those he wanted to hear heard what he said. They reached the warehouse without incident after that.

Ruby walked up to a smaller door, unlocked it and walked inside. A few seconds later, the large door opened with loud screeching sounds. Aaron winced at the sound, as did everyone else, especially the Faunus and those with dragon hearing. Ruby slowly came into sight covering her ears. When the noise and the door came to a stop, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even the dragons. "Anyone have some DW-30?" Ruby asked.

"I think it will take a little more than that to fix it," Weiss sighed. The group walked inside, and they all took a look around at the place. The majority of the room was a dull gray color with random stains across the floor. Lights hung from the ceiling some forty feet off the floor.

The condition of the building was not lost on them. "What was even stored in here?" Blake asked no one in particular.

"Dust for sure, but judging by the floor, I'd say a little bit of everything," Weiss chipped in.

Cerise rumbled unhappily up at Ruby. "I know it's not my room, but it's better than the cave, right?" the new Rider comforted her dragon.

The green dragon walked to a corner of the warehouse and settled down as best she could. Aaron removed all but one of the saddlebags.

"Now then, care to explain what Nalia said?" Weiss asked.

"Is that the name of the green dragon?" He asked.

"Yes, now explain." Aaron said.

"First, I want you all to swear upon the River Styx to reveal this information with only those that we agree to share it with, alright." He got a chorus of questions, mainly about why swearing upon a river, but they eventually relented and did so, resulting in a thunder clap in the distance. "I'm not even going to attempt to sugar coat this. We're not from this world. We're from a world separate from your own known as Earth."

"Zach, you're forgetting that I'm actually from Remnant." Sakura butt in.

"Ok, but you still grew up on Earth. Like I was saying, Earth has many differences, but one of the major ones is that there is a multitude of gods and goddesses there, that have a tendency to fall in love with mortals, aka normal human beings. FYI, Faunus don't exist on Earth. But, back on topic, they end up having kids with mortals, and those kids are called half-bloods or demigods. All eight of us are such."

"If that's the case, then who are you're 'godly' parents?" Weiss asked, voice dripping with sarcasm on the word 'godly.'

"Me, Nick, and David are all sons of Hephaestus, the god of the forge, fire, and volcanoes."

"My mom's Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She also seemed to find a way to Remnant, but only stayed long enough to have me, then left the world. From what she told me, I'm her only kid from Remnant." Sakura said.

"My dad is Poseidon, the god of the sea, storms, and earthquakes." Percy said.

"I am a son of Ares, ze god of war." Gregor said, his German accent plainly visible.

"Which makes it all the more ironic that you're the best medic of our group." Sakura added.

"Hey, do you vant me to bring up zat incident on Mars in 2510?"

"You do that, and I will pound your ass into next month."

"Good luck, I'm our best CQC fighter."

"Alright, that's it, as the highest ranking officer, I am ordering you two to shut the hell up." Zach said. "I would threaten you with dish duty and prohibit the use of your semblances, but we aren't on the fleet for me to do so."

"Yes, sir." Sakura and Gregor replied instantly, going ridged and saluting as they did so.

"Now then, moving on, I'm a son of Zeus, the god of the sky." Momaw said, with a very miniscule amount of an Irish accent present (Think like Terrorizer from YouTube).

_And I'm a son of Hades, the god of the dead, the underworld, shadows, and riches._ Ponda said, getting looks of shock from team RWBY and getting Aaron to put a hand on his sword.

"Why didn't I feel his presence in my head?" Aaron asked.

_What?... I don't enter people's heads, I just 'speak' to them without talking._

_And why don't you just talk normally?_ Nalia asked.

Ponda raised his hand to his neck, and pulled the bodyglove off of it, revealing a large scar on his throat. _M6D Magnum pistol, 12.7x40mm, M225 SAP-HE rounds, nine of 'em, point blank. I'm bloody lucky to be here._

"You know, you survived the Outback, and nine rounds point blank to the throat. I don't think anything can kill you." Percy said.

_I think you might be right, mate._

"Two things. One, I find that extremely hard to believe, the children of gods part, not the 9 shots point blank part, and two, I fail to see how this has to do with you smelling like a dragon." Yang said.

"I'm getting to it. Hold your horses. We've dealt with all kinds of bullshit, including alternate dimensions, if you want to call them that. The first alternate dimension, as I'm calling them, that we wound up in is known as Earthland, and is filled with literal magic."

"Magic doesn't exist." Ruby said. "Right?"

"Ok then, Momaw, Iron God Pillar."

"Coming right up." Momaw said, followed by his forearm turning into a black metal pillar.

"What the heck?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Magic." Sakura said, shrugging as she did so.

"Back to Earthland, there are all kinds of magic, ranging from being able to create objects out of ice, to the ability to use fire to slay dragons." Both Riders inched slightly closer to their dragons, preparing to draw their weapons. "Dragon Slayer Magic, as it's called, allows one to slay a dragon, but turns them into a dragon over time. Each of us learned at least one kind of magic while there. My kind is known as universal magic, and allows me to use just about any kind of magic I've seen, including my go to, Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. However, despite its name, there has only ever been a few dragons that I actually would try and kill with it, namely, one Animus and one Acnologia, both of whom are already fuckin' dead. Sakura uses Archive and a slightly different form of Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, Percy uses Water Dragon Slayer Magic, Gregor uses Rune and Poison Dragon Slayer Magic, David uses Lightning Demon Slayer Magic, Momaw uses Iron God Slayer Magic, Nick uses Ice Dragon Slayer Magic, and Ponda uses Telepathy at times and Earth Dragon Slayer Magic."

"I'm going to need some time to process this." Weiss said.

"I think we all do." Yang said.

"I figured as much. We'll clarify more about the truth regarding us later. For now, we'll leave you be and let you process that." Zach said, shortly followed by team Gray leaving.

* * *

POV: Aaron

"You ready?" Ruby asked.

"I got everything I need," He replied.

"Okay! This way to your-"

_No!_ Cerise interrupted. Everyone turned to look at the young dragon. She was laying in the corner right by the main door, too exhausted to move any farther. Her eyes were wide and pleading. _Stay!_

Ruby walked up to and knelt by her dragon. She gently caressed Cerise' head. "I'm not leaving you like that again. I'll be back in ten minutes, maybe less." Cerise hummed and licked her Rider's cheek. Ruby stood back up and fast-walked back to and out the main door. All the other two-legs followed.

As the group walked, many other students stared at Ruby like she suddenly grew a second head. Seeing Cerise tackle her and Ruby being okay with it must have struck an unusual chord for them. Ruby either didn't notice the attention she received or didn't care. Still, no one stopped the group anywhere across the school.

Ruby lead the way through a dorm building and stopped by a room labeled '315.' "Here we are! Your new home! Hopefully!" She handed Aaron his keys, then ran three doors down and entered the room.

Aaron unlocked his room and stepped inside. It was rather large for one person. A bed sat in the back-right corner of the room and small desk on the other side. All of the walls were the same shade of off-white. The only real color in the room came from the red curtains and bedding. For the people of Remnant, it was probably rather bland, but for someone had been running for their life for the past three years, the room might as well have been a mansion in central Ileria.

Aaron threw his bags on his bed as he heard footsteps thunder past his door. "Would someone please explain what's going on here?" he heard Jaune yell in the hall. Aaron walked out of his room to see the commotion. Team RWBY minus their leader stood by their room. Across from them stood the four that tried to talk to Ruby earlier.

"Sorry about Ruby," Yang apologized. "She's had a rough day."

"You remember that night when Ruby 'fell out of bed?'" Weiss asked. Jaune just nodded. "That was the night Cerise hatched for her."

"Cerise? The dragon?" the red-haired girl asked.

"Why didn't she tell us? I bet that dragon was cute when it was young!" the orange haired girl rambled.

"She," Aaron cut in. All the other students looked over at him, just noticing the Rider in the hall. "Cerise is a she. As for why Ruby hid her, I'm sure she had her reasons."

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," the red head said.

"My name is Aaron Benson, Rider of Nalia Quickwing."

Jaune nodded after a second's hesitation. "Well, I'm Jaune Arc. This is Pyrrha Nikos," he gestured to the red-head, "Nora Valkyrie," the orange-haired girl, "and Lie Ren," the other guy with a pink strip in his hair. "We're team JNPR, first years like team RWBY."

Aaron looked over the newly introduced team, then nodded. "Well met, team JNPR. I'd stay and chat longer, but I need to get back to my dragon." He turned around and started walking back to the dragons' warehouse.

"Well met? Uh, you guys know where he's from?" Jaune asked someone quietly, but Aaron heard it anyway. The Rider shook his head. He added the phrase to a growing mental list of things he needed to stop saying. As much as he hated having to cut even the smallest ties to his home, he needed to blend in. Well, as much as he could with a green dragon following him everywhere.

Instead of walking straight to the warehouse, he wandered around the grounds for a while. He thought he recognized what some of the buildings were. A forge, an armory, the buildings with the stacked bedrooms. Then there were a few that were large enough for several dragons the size of Master Glaedr. With no dragons native to this land, why would buildings need to be that size?

Eventually Aaron set his sights on the warehouse. He didn't realize how long he walked around; the sun was setting over the ocean to the west. His stomach rumbled for his attention for the first time, and the Rider realized he hadn't eaten since his meal with team RWBY nearly eight hours ago. During that time he expended a lot of energy healing Cerise. He knew he'd be eating like a Kull in the morning.

_Be quiet when you open the door,_ Nalia said as her Rider approached. _The others are already asleep._ Aaron opened the human-sized door slowly and looked to his left. Sure enough, Ruby had her arms wrapped around Cerise' neck while a wing covered the girl.

Aaron smiled at the sight. Her arms are going to be sore in the morning. He quietly walked up to Nalia who already lifted up a wing for her Rider.

_By the way, Ruby left a little food here for you if you're interested._

That caught Aaron's attention. _Where?_

_I moved the box to your usual spot._ Somehow Aaron didn't notice the small red box by Nalia's belly. He opened it and saw four light brown circles with black spots scattered around each. Aaron smiled. The last time he had cookies was before Vroengard.

_She say what the black spots were?_ Aaron asked.

_I think she said, 'chocolate chips,' or something along those lines._ Aaron cautiously took a bite, then his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The cookie was nice and warm, whether it was from being fresh or from being so close to a fire breather, Aaron didn't know or care. He guessed the chocolate chips were something only Alagaësia's elite had access to, if even them. Aaron stuffed the remaining cookies into his mouth, then collapsed against Nalia, satisfied.

_Well that was something,_ Aaron thought happily.

_Little Cerise had some too. She had the same opinion._

Aaron took a look around the warehouse. _I'll see what I can do about this place while we're here. Get these stains out of the floor, add some color to the place, and just make it livable in general._

_Well, you don't have to worry about that now. Rest. We're all tired._

Aaron yawned. _Well, good night Nalia._

_Good night Aaron._ Nalia dropped her wing, sealing her Rider in for the night.

* * *

**So yeah, another chapter done. I'll try and include team JNPR more, but no promises. Coming up on Volume II as well.**

**Hopefully this will be the last of the cookies showing up for a while. As for why Aaron doesn't know what chocolate chips are, as far as me and pokeman1280 can tell, Cocoa Beans wouldn't be able to grown anywhere in Alagaësia. Also, Cookies-Ex-Machina (ding!).**

**And finally, the example for the ancient language came from the ventriloquist comedian, Jeff Dunham, with his puppet, Achmed, while performing the song, Jingle Bombs, live. You can find it on YouTube.**


	8. Holy Shit

**Please, for the love of God, tell me what you think.**

* * *

Saturday, August 15

POV: Ruby

Ruby rolled out her shoulders for the umpteenth time since waking up a half hour ago. Having her arms wrapped around Cerise all night didn't agree with her body. One of the dragon's wings was in a similar situation, having rested at an awkward angle all night while covering Ruby. Neither of them regretted it.

On the other side of the warehouse, Nalia yawned and stretched out like a cat. Aaron stood a few feet away from his dragon going through this own set of stretches. "Good morning!" Ruby called out.

Aaron looked over at the other Rider and laughed. "Good and morning don't belong in the same sentence."

"One of those people huh?" Ruby walked up to Aaron, shaking her head.

_No, he likes the morning,_ Nalia said, _he just doesn't like waking up and having to move._

Ruby chuckled. "That I can relate to." She heard a low growling sound and she turned to Aaron. He blushed and looked to the side.

"Uh, anywhere we can get something to eat around here?" he asked sheepishly.

Ruby worked hard to stop herself from laughing even more. "There's a cafeteria here where you can eat all you want. The others are supposed to be there right now. I'm sure they'll want to hear what's really going on here."

Aaron scratched behind his head. "I do have a lot of explaining to do. Honestly though, a lot of things might have to stay between me and you and our dragons."

The younger Rider cocked her head in confusion. "Why? You don't trust them?"

"Trust isn't an issue here," Aaron threw his hands up in defense. "I'm sure if you asked them, they wouldn't reveal anything. Some things though need to be kept between Riders."

Ruby nodded hesitantly. "Okay, well, this way to the cafeteria." She walked toward the doors, but stopped when she came in line with Cerise.

_Food?_ the young dragon asked.

"Hey Nalia," Ruby called back. "Think you could get some food for Cerise again?"

_Of course,_ the green dragon responded, _I'll take her out to the forest so she can get some water as well._ Ruby flinched at the mention of the forest. _Don't worry, the Grimm won't get within one hundred feet of Cerise. They will die well before that._

Ruby nodded hesitantly and walked out of the warehouse with Aaron in tow. The two continued in silence until the warehouse was out of sight. "How long until Cerise is able to take care of herself again?" she eventually asked.

Aaron's eyes closed a fraction of the way like he was in deep thought. "She's strong, and she has you, so I'd give her about two or three more days until she can fly and hunt again."

"Me? What can I do?"

"You being there does more than you think, in addition to a few other perks of being bonded." Ruby kept looking at Aaron with interest, expecting him to go on. "Sorry, those are some of the things that need to be kept between us, and there are people with enhanced hearing around."

Ruby nodded and kept walking toward the cafeteria. She wasn't sure she liked how secretive Aaron was being, but if that's how things were ran back in, What was is called, Alagaësia? she would go with it.

Soon after the cafeteria came into sight. Ruby proceeded toward it like it was any other day. Aaron, however, pulled back a few steps. "This is the cafeteria?" he asked.

Ruby turned back to look at Aaron. His mouth hung open and his eyes were taking in the building in front of him. "Yeah, is that a problem?"

Aaron shook his head. "It's the size some of the houses on Doru Araeba, albeit the smaller ones." He winced and looked away. Ruby wasn't sure if she should be worried about the one who offered to train her, or laugh at him. Eventually she just shrugged and waved him on.

The pair entered the building and made their way to the serving line. Several people cast glances in their direction, but Ruby ignored them. They would get used to seeing Cerise around Beacon and wouldn't care anymore. At least, the young Rider hoped so. She didn't like the stares, and she didn't know how Cerise would act in the same situation.

As Ruby proceeded through the line, she felt Aaron's eyes on her the whole time, like he wasn't sure what to do. "Come on, Aaron, it's not rocket science," she said.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "What's 'rocket science?'"

Ruby chuckled. She had a lot of work to do. "Something that very few people understand." They reached the end of the line and Ruby scanned the large room for her team. It didn't take long since Yang was standing up and waving both arms frantically. The pair from the line slowly made their way to the waving girl, who was near team Gray.

"Hey Ruby," Yang called when the Riders got reasonably close, "what happened to you last night?"

"Not much," Ruby said as she sat down at the table. "I was about to come back, but Cerise put one of her wings over me and fell asleep. I couldn't leave then."

Yang and Blake just smiled. "Makes sense," Blake said.

Weiss, on the other hand, looked mortified. "You slept on that floor?" she asked.

"It wasn't that bad where Cerise was."

"Also," Aaron spoke up, "if your dragon needs you, no place is as comfortable as the space under a dragon's wing, even if you are sore in the morning or sleeping on a pile of rocks."

"We've certainly slept in worse conditions. Hey Zach, remember that time on Sigma Octanus IV when we had to sleep in a collapsed skyscraper?" Sakura said.

"Yeah, good times." Zach responded.

"What about sleeping in a collapsed skyscraper is a _good_ time?" Weiss asked.

"The fact that it was fun." He stated, as if it was obvious.

"I don't think we have the same definition of that word." Aaron said.

"I'd have to agree with that." Ruby dug into her pancakes almost as fast as Nora. As fast as she was though, Aaron was faster. He took twice the stack as Ruby, and it was gone in about half the time. Shortly after his plate was empty he stood back up to go get more.

Yang whistled. "Dang, he sure eats a lot,"

"Eating at that rate can't be healthy," Weiss sighed.

"We could." Percy said, earning a knife handle to the back of the head courtesy of Gregor. "Ow, asshole." Gregor just flipped him off.

"Well, he did have a long day yesterday," Ruby defended. "I honestly don't think he had time for a real meal since lunch yesterday." Soon after Aaron returned with a plate full of bacon, sausage, and tater tots. All of it was drenched in maple syrup.

"The fuck?" Momaw questioned rhetorically.

"Well, I haven't seen that before," Blake said, looking at the soggy tater tots.

Aaron shrugged. "Essentially everything here is new to me, and I like to try new things."

Yang raised both her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you've never had syrup before." Aaron shook his head. "Okay, that' stuff's universal across Remnant, whether you're in a Kingdom or not. Where are you from?"

Aaron chuckled after he stuffed a few strips of bacon into his mouth. "I figured I'd have to answer this sooner or later," he sighed. He stayed quiet for several seconds and turned his head slightly to his shoulders. Ruby figured he was contacting Nalia, what for, she couldn't guess.

Eventually Aaron focused back on the group at the table. "In case you haven't figured it out, I'm not from Vacuo, or Vale, or Remnant at all. I'm from a land called Alagaësia. If I'm remembering your history books right, technologically we're about at what you call the Middle Ages." All of team RWBY at the table leaned in closer to Aaron, intrigued by his revelation. Even so, Weiss still looked skeptical.

"I grew up in the city of Teirm, a large, coastal trading city on the west coast of Alagaësia. I don't really remember much about my first five or so years, but I do know my parents died in a house fire when I was three." Blake and Weiss gasped in surprise. On the other hand, Ruby and Yang nodded in sympathy. Ruby also wondered why he was going into that kind of detail now.

"After the fire, I lived alone on the streets two years. Unlike here, there are no orphanages or homeless shelters in Alagaësia. There was no help for a 'street rat' like me. I did what I had to do in order to survive. Most of it I regret to this day."

Aaron paused, and his eyebrows contorted, as if was remembering something unpleasant. "One person in the city took pity on me and took me under his wing. I didn't know it at the time, but he was a master jewel thief. He could break into almost anywhere. Everyone had bounties on him from the elves to dwarves." He shuddered. "He was turning me into his apprentice, and I was too young and stupid to understand.

"I did everything he wanted me to do, from providing distractions to breaking into places myself. The only places he didn't have me break into were military and government buildings. The thing is, I was good at it. I was never caught or even noticed. No one even suspected me. Then again, who would suspect the orphan boy begging on the corner would be a master thief.

"This continued for three years. One night, he had me break into the house of the couple who owned the largest fishing company in Teirm. It was simple enough. The couple was supposed to be away on business with the house empty except for a few servants who would be asleep late at night. It started out like any other job; opening a window from the outside and creeping through the house. I made my way to the master bedroom where most of their valuables would most likely be kept. The jewels and coin were where I expected them to be, but then the couple entered the room behind me."

"I thought you said you were never caught?" Ruby interrupted.

Aaron chuckled. "Up until that point, that was true. That night was the first and only time I was ever caught, and it turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened."

The older Rider closed his eyes in thought. "Instead of trying to cut my hands off and leaving me in the street like any other people would have, they offered me food and most of the jewels in their bedroom. The food alone was enough. I only had rotten and stale food since my house burned down. At their table, they seemed genuinely interested in me. They were concerned for me. I had no idea why." Aaron sighed. "Never before had anyone showed me that kind of kindness. I never even deserved it.

"I didn't go back to that…criminal, after I left the house. I left with the jewels and spent the night on the opposite side of the city from him. In the morning, I went back to the couple's house and returned what I took. They asked where I learned to steal like that. I told them and they were mortified. They weren't mad at me; they were worried sick for me. Again, I had no idea why. They offered me a temporary room in their house that could become permanent if I behaved myself.

"I told them where to find," Aaron paused and contorted his face, "my…master…and later that day he was arrested. Two days later he met the noose. Can't say I feel sorry for the bastard, but I still don't think killing him was the best course of action. He was terrified of prison. They should have let him rot." He looked up to see shocked faces. "What?"

"They hanged him?" Weiss said, trying to keep her shock from being carried out of the group. "Two days after he was arrested?"

Aaron nodded. "Justice is swift in Alagaësia, and the punishment for many crimes is death.

"Back to more happy thoughts, the stay at the couple's house turned permanent. Apparently, they were friends of my parents before the fire. They moved to Teirm to take me in, but could never track me down. They stayed in hopes that they could find me, and I'm so glad they did. They raised me as their own after that.

"Two weeks after my tenth birthday, a Rider carrying eggs came to Teirm." Ruby's ears perked up. She leaned in even closer as to not miss a word. "Every ten-year-old is required to be brought before dragon eggs to see if they will hatch. Older kids may come as well as long as the eggs are different from what they've come in contact with before."

Aaron smiled. "The hatching time can be anywhere from a few hours to a couple of weeks. I only had to wait two days before Nalia hatched for me." He sighed. "That was the best day of my life. It's hard to describe in words, but it's like the other half of me I didn't know wasn't there came back." He looked Ruby in the eyes. "You may or may not feel that now, but you will."

Ruby looked away and blushed. "So what happened after that?" she asked.

Aaron hesitated. "All I can say is Nalia and I were brought to Vroengard, the Order's home base, for training. The rest needs to stay between you and me."

Yang crossed her arms. "So what brings you here?" she asked.

All of Aaron's previous happiness drained away in a second. "We were betrayed by one of our own. He built up an army and attacked Vroengard." He hung his head and his voice dropped even quieter. "All those loyal on the island were killed. As far as I know, Nalia and I are the last ones alive." Everyone but Ruby gasped. She heard that part in Ozpin's office. (Team Gray faked extremely well)

"You really don't have to go on," Blake said while putting a hand up. "All that can't be easy to say."

Aaron nodded. "I'll just say that we've been on the run for three years, and this is the first time since the Fall that we've felt even remotely safe." An awkward silence fell over the table for a few minutes. Aaron seemed out of it and all members of team RWBY were processing what they heard.

Eventually Ruby broke the silence. "Want to hear about my time with Cerise?" she asked, trying to improve the mood.

Aaron sighed and a corner of his lip slightly rose. "I would like that." Ruby began with finding Cerise' egg in the Emerald Forest. The other Rider breathed a sigh of relief when Ruby mentioned that there were no Grimm around the egg. She moved on to Cerise hatching that night and everything that happened. Aaron cast a cautious glance at Yang when he heard of her reaction to the bonding.

"If it means anything now, I would never even consider doing it again," she defended, with more than a hint of guilt in her voice.

Aaron nodded, then motioned for Ruby to continue. She explained the team's trip to the city the day after, intentionally glossing over their rather direct encounter that day. She outlined the research Blake and she conducted on dragons, most of which Aaron corrected or denied. Ruby then explained her first unintentional spreading of her mind. Aaron's attention increased tenfold. Ruby could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes.

She went on to explain the food struggles over the first week and how she found a place for Cerise in the forest. Ruby recapped the past week quickly, as the only things that happened were Ruby's occasional visits to the cave. Then came the apartment fire and the first time she intentionally sent her mind out of her own head, when not talking to Cerise anyway. This also caught Aaron's attention, the gears in his head turning even more. Ruby didn't know what he was thinking, but it probably involved whatever training she was in for.

Ruby then went on to explain how Cerise got her injuries the day before. She started with explaining why she was freaking out in the restaurant, then how she found Cerise and killed the Beowolf pack. The younger Rider explained how she did what she could to treat the injuries and try to get her to Beacon.

"That's about when you showed up," Ruby finished.

Aaron nodded. "Did Cerise kill any of those Beowolves before you showed up?" he asked.

Ruby hesitated. "I don't know." She stretched her mind out to Cerise and asked her.

_Two_, she replied, _then too many._ Ruby nodded then passed it on.

Aaron covered his mouth with his hand in thought. "So this is what I'm working with," Ruby heard from behind the blockage. "I must say, for someone with no formal instruction in your mental capabilities and having no idea how to take care of a dragon, you have done fairly well for yourself."

Ruby blushed. "Well, it's not like I haven't had any help." She looked at her teammates and smiled. "They all helped out in some way."

"So it would seem. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get more pancakes." Aaron got up and walked back to the serving line.

"Well, he has mood swings," Yang commented. "People don't go from depression to intense intrigue at the drop of a hat."

"Uh, Yang, remember me yesterday?" Ruby asked her sister.

Yang shrugged. "It must be a Rider thing."

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron and the girls of team RWBY talked for another hour in the cafeteria before they went their separate ways. Team Gray had gone to the Emerald Forest to "kill some shit" Ruby left with Aaron while the others walked to their room. The older Rider was putting together a possible training regimen with Nalia. _Combat shouldn't be an issue, since that's the main point of this school. We'll have to work from the ground up with magic though. Where and when should we begin with that?_

_This is a problem,_ Nalia replied. _She doesn't know any of the ancient language and I doubt she would go along with that education for long without some purpose._ The green dragon fell silent for a second. _I believe her magic training should begin soon. As for what to start with, why not start with making a rock float? That's simple enough and it doesn't take too much energy. _

_And it's trick number one after those crazy assignments. If I ever see that boulder again…_ Aaron let the thought hang. _What about mental training? We can teach Ruby and Cerise how to defend their minds, but when it comes to attacking, we're not exactly experts._

_We know the principles and how it's supposed to work, we just aren't strong in that area. They will be fine. Ruby has already shown strength in stretching out her mind, it won't take much more to teach her to break in._

_That can be saved for last, though. We're the only other ones who can shield minds. Let's just hope it stays that way._ Aaron sighed. _We're not going to do a good job, are we?_

_Compared to Masters Oromis and Glaedr, no. But even they needed to start somewhere. We'll work with what we've got and do the best we can._

The dragons' warehouse came into view and Aaron stopped in his tracks. _There are people doing something to the building._

Ruby cocked her head beside Aaron. "Motion sensors?"

Aaron looked at the other Rider. "Motion what?"

"Motion sensors. They, uh, track things that move in a certain way which in turn activates something. In this case, I'm guessing the doors so our dragons can come and go as they please."

Aaron looked back at the workers. _Did Ozpin plan this before or after we showed ourselves,_ he thought to himself. He and Ruby entered the warehouse through the former staff door and once again was surprised. The stains on the floor had been removed and the lights on the ceiling were relit. _That man really wants me to like him, doesn't he?_

Soon after, Nalia landed outside and the door lifted on of its own accord. Both dragon and Rider stared at it in surprise. It was weird enough only pushing a button and that happening, even more so with no interaction at all. Nalia hesitantly walked inside while Cerise ran up to Ruby and tackled her again. As soon as the larger dragon's tail cleared the doorway, the newly self-controlled door closed itself.

_The magic here is very strange,_ Nalia commented to everyone in the room.

Ruby laughed as she crawled out from under her dragon. "There's no such thing as magic," She blinked her eyes a few times and the smile dropped from her face. She looked back and forth between the two dragons in the room. "Or, wait, Zach just said that him and the rest of his team have magic yesterday."

Aaron looked to Nalia who shook her head. "We'll get to that later," he said. "Right now, I'd like to clarify a few things from what you said earlier. First of all, was Cerise born with her spikes? They seem unusually short for being two weeks old."

Ruby shook her head. "Nope, they started sprouting at day three. Is that normal?"

"It's not uncommon. When dragons are born without their spikes, they tend to be more passive than others of their kind. Cerise is also a red dragon, which are generally more aggressive than others. It will be interesting to see how she matures.

"Second, while you were helping Cerise walk back to Beacon, you said you felt your energy leaving you at an extraordinary rate right?"

"Yeah, even when we were both on the ground barely moving. I just thought it was because Cerise was…" Ruby cut herself off and shuddered.

"You were right, to an extent. The energy drain you felt can work both ways, but it normally flows from dragon to Rider. Every bonded pair uses it on a daily basis for normal things. For example: the Rider can use his or her dragon's energy to boost his or her strength." Ruby's eyes brightened up.

"Also, the energy from one can be used to keep the other alive if severely injured. I'm not sure if you unintentionally sent the energy or if Cerise drew it from you, but either way is very dangerous. Too much energy could be sent or taken, threatening the life of the uninjured member of the pair."

Once again, Ruby's excitement was dashed. She looked down at Cerise who was already looking up at her. "Will she remember any of this?" she asked Aaron.

_Dragons have nearly perfect memory,_ Nalia answered. _She'll remember her own hatching over two hundred years from now._

Ruby snapped her head over to Nalia. "Two hundred years?" she yelled. "How old can dragons get?"

_Assuming we're not brought low by blade, poison, or incurable disease, we can live indefinitely._

Ruby's eyebrows raised. "Wow, so she'll still be around when I'm long gone."

"Hopefully not," Aaron replied with a straight face. "The same applies to Riders."

The younger Rider's face lit up like the sun. "This is so cool! I could live to see the last Grimm be killed! I could walk on other planets like it's nothing! Oh, wait until the others find out!" Ruby's mirth vanished slowly over ten seconds as she realized what immortality entailed. "Oh."

Aaron nodded sympathetically. "Many people have a similar reaction. It sounds amazing, but then they remember the people they will leave behind. To make matters worse, our bodies almost stop physically aging when we reach twenty years of age. We'll look nearly the same age for centuries. I have never met a Rider who looked over fifty."

Ruby started shaking and stared at the floor. "So when Yang is old and dy… and in her last years of life, I won't look much older than I do now?"

The older Rider nodded. "Such is the burden of being a Rider. With age comes experience so we are undoubtedly the best warriors in the land, but we lose many friends along the way, and most if not all of our family. Many of the older Riders secluded themselves away from the rest of the Order, only offering advice to those who sought it, but I think they did it to prevent the heartbreak that is losing another friend."

Ruby was struggling to fight back tears, then threw her arms around Cerise. "At least I'll have you," she whispered.

"Protect her, Ruby. Without her, there aren't many reasons to continue." Aaron stood back and watched the younger pair comfort each other. Even Cerise was upset, but Aaron couldn't tell if it was her own emotion or Ruby's spilling over. Eventually the older Rider left the warehouse to leave the pair alone.

Ruby kept her arms around Cerise' neck for several minutes. She was still trying to piece what Aaron said together. Immortality? Never aging? What was the point if most people she knew were going to die of old age? She opened her eyes she didn't know closed and stared down at her dragon's back.

Cerise. She was enough. Plus there was Aaron and Nalia, and there was the slim possibility of friendly Riders in Alagaësia that Aaron didn't know about. And then Zach had said that all of the members of his team were all at least 150 years old, so they would likely stick around for a long time too.

Still, Ruby didn't want to just leave her friends, or her sister. They had to know, sooner rather than later.

The young Rider let go of her dragon then looked up at Nalia. "Is there anything else Aaron wanted to go over?" she asked.

_Yes, but first I must ask something of you,_ Nalia said. _Aaron must not know I told you about this. Do you understand?_ Ruby simply nodded.

_Aaron is not as put together as he seems. He is broken in ways that are hard to explain. He will shatter, it's only a matter of time. I know it may be wrong of me to ask this, but will you help pick up the pieces when it happens?_

Ruby was taken aback. "What happened?"

_Without going into detail, he continually blames himself for many decisions he's made, even if they are justified. He's been like this since I hatched for him, just the masks he's worn have changed. He…does things to himself whenever he does something even remotely regrettable. No matter how much I try, I…I can't stop him short of pinning him to the ground._

_With this in mind, I'll ask again, will you help me look after my Rider._ Nalia looked down at Ruby with pleading eyes.

The young Rider legitimately thought this one over. If Nalia asked, it had to be important. Ruby knew regular people hardly asked for that kind of help. She didn't know how prideful dragons were, but she suspected more than the average human or Faunus. Also, she might be the only one around when it happens, and she's not one to just let someone stay at a low point.

Ruby nodded, her decision made. "I will help any way I can."

Nalia breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you. Now, I believe you asked earlier about magic?_


	9. And they're off

Saturday, August 15

POV: Aaron

_So, how do we start this?_ Aaron asked Nalia.

The green dragon thought it over for a moment. _Start with what magic is and how dangerous it can be. That's how it started with you, isn't it?_

_Might as well._ Aaron locked eyes with the younger Rider. "Ruby, real magic isn't like the kind you have here," Aaron told the younger Rider. "It not card tricks or pulling a rabbit out of a hat, although admittedly, you could do that if you wanted. Real magic is much more complicated, and a lot more dangerous."

Ruby grunted. "Is there anything from where you're from that's not dangerous?"

Aaron smirked. "The air is much clearer in Alagaësia." He grew serious. "Now Ruby, you can only talk about what you are about to hear to a very select group of people. Right now, that includes Yang, Blake, and Weiss, no one else. There could be serious consequences if news of this gets out, that can both directly and indirectly affect us and our dragons, not to mention the rest of Remnant."

"Whoa, that serious?" Aaron nodded. "Okay, then. I promise to keep everything between us."

"The first thing you need to know is that magic is tied to what we call the Ancient Language. To put it simply, speak something in it and put some energy into it, something will happen. For example," Aaron stuck his right hand out on front of him. "Brisingr!" a small flame burned to life in his hand.

Ruby nearly jumped a foot. "That's different," she put her left hand out in front of her and was about to speak the word when Aaron grabbed her wrist.

"Sorry, bad first example. That's a little too advanced for you right now," he said as he let go of her wrist. "Magic takes as much energy out of you as it would to do the same task by hand, well, when you get more experience with it anyway. Initially, it drains energy much faster. If you did what you were about to, you could have passed out in seconds." Ruby blinked rapidly then dropped her arm to her side.

"It can get much worse though. Some spells, in fact most spells, will drain your energy even when you lose consciousness. If too much is drained, the spell will kill you."

Ruby looked down at her feet, scolded. "So how do I get experience?"

Aaron sighed. "Starting with something easy." He took a rock out of his pocket and handed it to Ruby. "Concentrate on the rock and say 'Stenr reisa.'"

She nodded then concentrated on the small rock. "Stenr reisa," Ruby said calmly. The rock didn't even move. She said it again, with more confidence and force, and the rock still didn't move. The third time proved no better. "Am I even saying this right?" Frustration found its way into Ruby's voice.

"Nobody gets it right away," Aaron replied. "Keep at it. You'll get it eventually."

Ruby refocused on the rock and tried again several more times, more and more frustration evident in her voice. On the tenth time, she had enough and yelled, "Stenr reisa!" The rock shook and floated to a few inches above her hand. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. After a few seconds, the rock dropped back into her hand. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet. Cerise ran over to her Rider to give her some support. "You weren't joking about the energy drain."

Aaron shook his head. "When it comes to magic, I don't joke. Even the slightest mispronunciation of a word can have disastrous results."

Ruby panted while leaning against Cerise. "Do I want to know what you mean by 'disastrous'?"

"Anything from misdirecting an attack to making a spell absolute, unable to end without completing its task or killing the caster. It's extremely hard to divert that one so dramatically though. That's why it's the one that every Rider learns first back on Vroengard."

"You said this will get easier with time, right?"

"Yes. It'll take more energy to walk up stairs than to make that rock float before you know it."

Ruby smiled through her panting. "So what else will I be able to do when I'm stronger?"

"The basics include healing almost any wounds, moving objects that are beyond your normal capability, and protecting yourself and others from many types of injury. Singing plants to life and shaping them comes later."

The younger Rider laughed. "I can already protect myself from injuries," Ruby paused and looked up at Aaron with an eyebrow raised. "Singing plants to life and shaping them? What's that supposed to mean?"

It was Aaron's turn to chuckle. "It's something that the elves came up with long ago. They sing to plants and put energy into the Ancient Language, and it grows and shapes plants. Under their care, a flower can grow full sized from a seed in a matter of minutes. Their buildings are just trees sung into whatever form is needed." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Ah, if only you could see Ellesméra, the elven capital. You can see the history of the city as you move through, animals roam the streets," Aaron crinkled his nose, "and it doesn't have the stench of excrement that all human and dwarven cities have."

Ruby crinkled her own nose. "Excrement?"

"They don't have—what's it called here, indoor plumbing? Only nobility and the richest civilians can afford it."

The younger Rider shuddered. "Gross, I shouldn't have asked." She paused. "What about this Doru Araeba you mentioned earlier? What's that place like?"

Aaron's shoulders slumped. He regretted mentioning Doru Areaba before. He lost so many people there, and Nalia...

Thankfully Nalia stepped in. _We're getting off topic here, let's move on._ She cast a glance and Ruby before settling down again.

Aaron cleared his head and focused his attention back on his student. "Good idea. Now, there is more to the Ancient Language than just being able to use magic with it. When you speak in it, you can't lie, and you can't break any oaths you make, whether accidental or intentional. That's how Cerise knew I wouldn't hurt her yesterday."

Ruby looked down at her dragon who hummed and nodded in response. "How could she know it? We've never even heard of it before now."

"Well, I'm sure she doesn't _know_ it, but everyone can understand the basic meaning behind what is said. If it's directed, the meaning becomes clearer. There's a reason behind it, but the explanation is beyond me."

"So, I take it you want me to promise in the Ancient Language that I won't tell anybody about this except those you approve of?"

Aaron fervently shook his head. "Any other Rider would say yes, but I'm saying no. Forcing people to take them is too much like taking away free will. I will give oaths, but I never force people to say them."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. She looked down at Cerise and it appeared they were having a conversation. Aaron stood silent and let them have it. After a few seconds Ruby nodded and looked back up at Aaron. "What are the words?" she asked.

"Um, to what?" Aaron cocked his head in confusion.

"What are the words to say that I won't speak of this except with you and my team?"

Both Aaron and Nalia stared at Ruby in shock. _Are you sure? _Nalia asked.

"There's no going back after it's said."

Ruby shrugged. "Better safe than sorry so something doesn't slip."

Aaron sighed. He didn't know why Ruby would make an unbreakable oath so freely, but if she wanted to, he wouldn't stop her. Over the next ten minutes, the older Rider coached the younger on how each of the individual words are pronounced and what they mean. After Aaron coached Ruby on the order, he gave her one last chance to back down. Instead, she went along and said the oath with confidence.

"Should I feel any different?" Ruby asked after she finished.

"No, most oaths are just that. You won't notice it unless you try and go against it. You physically won't be able to."

Aaron decided it was time to move on. It was best not to overwhelm Ruby with specifics just yet. "The last major part of magic is literally all in the head, and I believe you have some rather unintentional experience with this."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, it kind of scared me when the rest of the team felt my emotions."

Aaron nodded. "That is common for human Riders. Just be glad the first time it happened you sent out happiness and not rage or depression. The consequences of both are terrible in their own ways.

"Anyway, there are three new things you can do with your mind now: communication, defense, and attack. The communication part is what you've done, sending your thoughts and emotions outside of yourself to someone else. I don't know if you've noticed, but you can also touch the minds of animals and plants as well as humans and Faunus."

"Wait, minds of plants? I may not be the best at biology, but I'm pretty sure plants don't have brains."

"Sorry, I misspoke. I meant the presence and energy of plants. Again, it's amazing to stretch your mind out in Ellesméra to feel all the life around you." Aaron paused for a second. "Actually, the Menoa tree, the only known tree with a noticeable consciousness is just outside the city, but that's a story for another time.

"The next two deal with mental combat. Riders, dragons, some creatures, and most other magic users can attack other minds. It's not pleasant, or so I've been told. Nalia and I have very defensive minds. No one has ever broken past our defenses, combined or not. On the attack though, if our opponent has even the slightest defenses, we can't break in."

"Wait, you _can't_ do something?" Ruby chuckled. "I guess you aren't all powerful after all."

"Everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses," Aaron agreed. "Now, the basic way to start your defense is to picture something in your mind and concentrate on that above all else. With enough practice, you will be able keep your defense up at all times. In a battle situation with other hostile magicians in the area, it will be needed. If you have to choose between attacking and defending, choose defense."

"So, all I need to do is concentrate on something hard enough and it will defend my mind?" Ruby asked.

Aaron nodded. "That's all your opponent will be able to see."

Ruby closed her eyes for a few seconds, then nodded. "Try it."

The older Rider sent out his mind to attack Ruby's. As expected, his attack was repelled. All he saw was an image of a woman in a cloak similar to Ruby's, though it was white. Aaron turned his eyes to Nalia, and she nodded. She raised her tail high off the ground and slammed it back into the floor. Ruby yelped, but the strength of her defense never faltered.

Aaron pulled back into his own mind. "Well done, Ruby. The tail smash typically catches rookies by surprise."

Ruby shrugged. "I've had a lot of practice in dealing with distractions."

"Yang?"

"Yep, I've paid her back on multiple occasions though."

Aaron smiled. He wondered if that's how his younger sister and he would have acted around each other, then he banished the thought from his head. "Attacking someone's mind is a little more difficult. It starts out similar to communication, as you stretch out your mind to your opponent. Instead of just sending thoughts or emotions though, you concentrate your thoughts into a single point and drive it into your opponent's defense. Or, that's how I believe it's supposed to go."

Ruby nodded and stood in an offensive stance. "You ready?"

Aaron threw up his mental defenses and nodded. Almost immediately he felt something hit the wall in his head. It started out trying to push its way in everywhere at once. It pulled back, then smashed in at one point with surprising force. Again, the attack stopped, and again it narrowed its attack. The older Rider smiled. "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

Immediately after he asked, his legs were knocked out from under him. Aaron saw Nalia's tail fly past his line of sight. He fell flat on his back and the wind was knocked out of him. The attack on Aaron's mind resumed, but it still didn't gain any ground.

Nalia laughed at the sight of her Rider on the ground. "Yes, very funny," Aaron growled, "and no, that didn't do a thing."

Ruby sighed in the middle of laughing. "Ah well, it was worth a shot." She looked over at Nalia and thrust a fist in her direction with a thumb up.

Aaron stood up and brushed his jacket off. _So, what now?_ he asked Nalia.

_Well, we taught her all we wanted for the basics,_ Nalia responded. _Still, I don't think she's ready to go onto more advanced magic yet. Her body won't be able to handle it._

_Break until after lunch, then see what she can do in physical combat?_

The green dragon nodded._ I would like to see how the people here fight._

Aaron nodded himself. "Okay Ruby, we've gone through all we've wanted to for this morning. How about we break until after lunch, unless you have any questions."

"I have a few," Ruby said. "Through the whole time you've been here, you've never mentioned Aura. Do you," she hesitated, "know what it is?"

Aaron thought back over his two years of training before answering. "I've never heard of it before."

Ruby's eyes brightened. "Well, from what you've said, magic is similar to Aura in a few ways. For one, it shields us from attacks, whether it's from a Grimm attack, a sword or bullets. If something gets through, Aura can heal us faster. Some people can directly use their Aura for attack, like Ren from team JNPR.

"Everyone that has their Aura unlocked has a Semblance. For me, it's speed!" Ruby vanished in a flash of red and rose petals. Aaron followed the trail with his eyes and saw her waving at the far end of the warehouse. She ran off again and nearly blew the older Rider off his feet. "I don't know where the rose petals come from though. I think it's a one of a kind thing."

Aaron turned around and saw Ruby smiling up at him. He whistled. "You are fast. You might be able to beat Nalia in a race."

Nalia snorted smoke from her nostrils. _Don't count on it._

"I can't keep it up long distances yet. I can run a lot farther than I used to though."

"What about yesterday when you ran to Cerise?"

Ruby hesitated. "I did run all the way didn't I?" she mumbled to herself. "I think it was fueled by fear, though. I can tell just from that quick run that I can't do it now."

Aaron nodded, intrigued. "How do I get it and use it?"

"Everybody has Aura in them. I think Pyrrha describes it as 'the manifestation of our souls,' or something along those lines. After you unlock it, it will start defending you and healing your injuries, but you will need to discover your Semblance on your own."

"I'm going to have to look into this. Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

The smile left Ruby's face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Is it possible to extend the life of someone who isn't a Rider?"

Aaron sighed. He knew this was coming. From what he heard; it always did. "It is possible to extend another's life, but not make them immortal." Ruby's eyes brightened for a second. "I know why you're asking, I'm sorry to say though all known ways of doing it can't change how the mind ages. If it's not engaged enough, the brain will rot like any other elderly person. Even if they are continually involved in something, the deterioration starts at about two-hundred-and-fifty years of age."

"Still, that's adds about a hundred and fifty they didn't have otherwise." She paused. "You said you were trying to get eggs to hatch when you were away from…when the Fall happened. Do you have any more eggs with you?"

Neither Aaron nor Nalia spoke. _Should we tell her?_ Aaron asked his dragon.

_I feel lying to her will come back to clip our wings._ The green dragon turned her head to Ruby. _We have two other eggs with us Ruby. Both are eager to find their Riders, but that does not mean they will choose any of your teammates._

"Have there ever been Riders that are related?" Ruby blurted out.

Nalia sighed. _Yes, there have been several, but the number is few and far in-between. Dragons choose their Riders based on their personality and beliefs. Relations mean nothing._ Aaron raised an eyebrow at his dragon but made no comment.

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "So you're saying it's almost impossible for the eggs to hatch for anyone on my team?"

"The odds aren't in their favor," Aaron began, "but it's not impossible."

Ruby nodded sadly. "Well, I suppose I should be getting back to the others now." She rubbed underneath Cerise' chin before walking to the door.

"I'll see you at lunch," Aaron called. Ruby nodded absentmindedly and left the building. Aaron looked up at Nalia. _You left out a crucial detail in there,_ he thought at her.

The green dragon's wings drooped. _I didn't want to get her hopes up._

Aaron nodded and looked to the floor. "Am I going too fast with this?"

_Probably, but when was the last time we even saw our masters?_

"You have a point. I just hope Ruby can take all of this."

* * *

POV: Ruby

Ruby walked slowly across Beacon to her dorm room. She tried to process everything she just learned. On the positive side, she could use magic, she was now telepathic, and she was immortal.

The young Rider shuddered at that last thought. She had the next seventy years with her team, if she didn't extend their lives with magic. After that, it would just be her and Cerise. Ruby was terrified of never aging while everyone grew old around her. What was the point of living forever if she would just end up alone? There was no telling how many people she would lose in her long life.

Ruby felt Cerise' mind press against hers. _Not alone,_ the young dragon said. _You have me._

_Thanks, _Ruby sent back, _but people need more than one other person to survive._

_Aaron? Nalia? Team Gray?_

Ruby hesitated in her steps. _I don't know. They seem nice, but they could find a way to get back to Alagaësia and never come back. And did you hear Nalia? Aaron's unstable. He could break at any time. And team Gray has their own world too._

Cerise took her time in responding. _Don't…fear…Focus now, not then._

…_Thanks Cerise._ Ruby didn't even realize she walked all the way to her residence hall. Luckily very few people were in the halls and even fewer looked her way. She couldn't take the attention at the moment, not with those evil thoughts in her head.

Ruby entered her to find a scene much different to how she was feeling. Yang was laughing at a joke, knowing the other two in the room, she most likely told. "Hey, Rubes, what took you so long?" Yang asked with a smile on her face. The smile didn't last long though. "Ruby, something wrong?"

"No," Ruby said quickly, then hesitated. "Yes. It was just one thing Aaron and Nalia said."

Weiss looked at her partner with a shocked expression. "Since when can 'one thing' get you down like this?"

"There had to be some positive things he said for you to be gone for so long."

Ruby smiled half-heartedly as she sat down on Weiss' bed. "There was plenty of that." She took the rock Aaron gave her out of her pocket. She concentrated on the rock and dug into the part of herself that she found contained at least one of her new abilities. "Stenr reisa." The rock obediently floated a few inches above her hand.

The three other girls stared at the hovering rock in disbelief. "That's new," Blake gasped.

"What are you now, some type of magician?" Yang asked. Ruby couldn't tell if it was a serious question.

The rock fell back into back into Ruby's hand. "Aaron says it's magic, so yeah."

"Magic?" Weiss scoffed.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the heiress. "Did you believe that dragons existed before Cerise hatched? How else would you explain this? Plus, Zach admitted that his team has magic and that most of his powers are actually magic too."

Weiss hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"What else can you do?" Yang asked, genuine interest in her voice.

"With magic, right now just that. Aaron says I'll be able to do just about anything when I get better with it. He mentioned things like healing severe injuries on the spot and altering the way plants grow. Oh, and he produced a fireball in his hand like it was nothing."

"The fire, I get," Yang said, "but the plants? Since when do you want to be a gardener?"

"I don't really, but apparently back in Alagaësia, the elves have altered the way trees grow to live in them. A literal tree house. Aaron says entire cities are built like that."

Weiss perked up at that last bit. "A city of trees? That seems like an interesting place to visit someday."

"In addition to magic," Ruby continued, "they taught me the basics of how to control my mind for offense and defense. The communication part I already had down."

"Geez, Ruby, you're turning into one of those super heroes from the movies!" Yang exclaimed. "Could show us? Somehow?"

Ruby smirked and stretched out her mind. Without opening her mouth, she said, _Sure._ The looks on her friend's faces said that the trick worked. _Silent communication. This could be useful if we ever have to sneak around._

"Could you…track people like this?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"I don't see why not," Ruby spoke. "I think there are a few more ways to use and fine tune that technique, but Aaron hasn't taught me yet."

"Anything else cool you have up your sleeve?" Yang asked.

Ruby took a few seconds to think it over. They didn't need to know the specifics of the Ancient Language, not yet anyway. She didn't have any way to prove it either. That just left…the one thing. The young Rider sighed and looked down at her lap. "Aaron and Nalia said that dragons are immortal… and so are their Riders."

No one in the room breathed for a few seconds, then Yang nearly jumped up from her position on Blake's bed. "What's wrong that? With that amount of time, there's no way you won't be the best Huntress on Remnant in that time! Who knows? You could live on the moon someday!"

Ruby looked up at her sister, fighting to hold back tears. Yang's smile quickly evaporated. "If that does happen, none of you will be here to see it."

The mood in the room tanked. No one knew what to say. They all knew Ruby was right. "It's not just time that's the problem. Aaron says my body will almost stop aging when I'm twenty. So when you're all in your seventies, I'll barely look older than I do now." She choked on her next words. "I'm going to be alone, for a very, very long time."

Yang launched herself between the beds and pulled Ruby into a tight hug, but not one of her choking ones. "Don't say things like that Ruby!" she ordered. Ruby returned the hug and let the tears flow free. "I'm not leaving any time soon."

"I know this sounds cold," Blake said, "but everybody loses people, and it never gets easier. Even in the worst of times, though, there will be someone to pick you up."

"Ruby, we'll still be around for a long time," Weiss comforted. "None of us are going anywhere. It's not like you'll be alone when we're gone anyway. You'll have Cerise, and I'm sure Aaron and Nalia will stick around." She seemingly left out team Gray on purpose.

Cerise' mind pressed up against her Rider's again. _Never alone._

"Listen to Cerise, Ruby," Yang whispered, apparently hearing the dragon's words. "Even though we won't be standing by your side, we'll always be with you. You know that. I'm _never_ leaving you."

The room stayed silent for several minutes, and Ruby and Yang stayed in each other's arms. Eventually Ruby composed herself and pulled away from her sister. "There are a couple ways around this, at least temporarily," she said.

"I'm all ears," Yang said.

"Aaron said it is possible to extend the life of people who aren't bonded to a dragon, not aging included. On the down side, he said 'brain rot' would come when you get to be two-hundred-and-fifty. I'm guessing he meant something along the lines of dementia."

Ruby paused for a second. "He also has two other eggs with him."

The other girls perked up. "So, a dragon could hatch for us?" Weiss asked.

Yang whistled. "That would be something," she said. "Dragon Rider sisters. The Grimm better watch out."

"I think you two are missing something," Blake cut in. "There are only two eggs, and there's three of us."

"There is that," Ruby sighed. "Also, the dragons choose their Riders, not the other way around. Blood relations don't matter."

"But is it possible?" Yang insisted.

Ruby nodded. "It is, but it's rare."

Yang hesitated. "When's the next time you two are meeting?"

"After lunch, why?"

"I'm going with you." Ruby blinked rapidly and was about to protest when Yang cut her off. "Ruby, if there's even the slightest possibility of one of those eggs hatching for me, I'll take it."

"I'm with Yang on this one," Weiss said. "From just the little time I've been around Cerise and Nalia, I can tell they're intelligent and powerful, but also caring. I wouldn't mind spending a lot of time with one."

Ruby looked over at Blake who simply shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. I don't know if a Faunus could be a Rider, though, if there were none where Aaron and Nalia are from."

"Thanks, guys." Ruby sighed. She didn't know if any of them would be lucky enough to have an egg hatch for them, but at least there was the chance.

Yang scoffed, and Ruby looked up at her sister confused. "Thanks? Who said I was doing this for you? I just want a dragon of my own." For that, Yang received a pillow to the face.

* * *

**So, those of you who have read _A Rose's Scales_ may be wondering when things will start changing, and I've gotta say, honestly, I can't think of much to change right off the bat, but changes will be coming once we get to chapter 16. You may say that at this point I'm just copying pokeman1280's work, but change will come, and it will be big.**


	10. Testing

Saturday, August 15

POV: Ruby

Team RWBY slowly made their way to the cafeteria. Ruby regained much of her previous composure thanks to her friends and Cerise. Just because she was cracked on the inside didn't mean people would be able to see it on the outside.

A small high-pitched roar made its way across the courtyard. Students were running away from one point on the far side. Soon enough, Ruby saw Cerise sprinting across the courtyard at her. Only a few seconds later the red dragon tackled her Rider to the ground. Both of them were laughing in their own ways. "Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" Ruby asked.

_Yes,_ Cerise replied while backing off Ruby. _Fun._

"Can't argue with that." Ruby stood up and dusted herself off. She caught a glimpse of Weiss rolling her eyes, yet at the same time trying to hold back a smile.

"Awww, they're so cute together!" The young Rider turned around and saw team JNPR walking up to her. Nora looked like she was about to pounce on Cerise while Ren was ready to hold her back if needed. Jaune wore that oblivious smile he always had around Beacon, and Pyrrha walked with her usual air of confidence. In other words, just a normal day for the team.

"Um, thanks?" Cerise made a noise her Rider couldn't place and moved behind Ruby as if to hide. Ruby put a hand on her dragon's head. _They're friends, Cerise,_ she comforted.

"So Ruby, when where you going to tell us you had a dragon?" Jaune asked. He didn't sound offended or angry, just curious.

"Well, if all went according to plan…" Ruby thought it over. When _did_ she want to introduce Cerise to the world? And why didn't she tell JNPR? _Nora, right._ She decided to go with something that seemed remotely sane. "…I would have ridden Cerise into the main courtyard when she was big enough to carry me. Looking back though, that seems like a bad idea."

"Why even hide her in the first place?" Pyrrha asked.

"She's shy, she didn't even like Yang for a while."

Yang shrunk down a little and rubbed the back of her neck. "I can't imagine why," she joked. Cerise snorted a puff of smoke in her direction, then let out a dragon's chuckle. "We're fine now though." Yang scratched behind one of the dragon's ears.

"Can she breathe fire?" Nora blurted out.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't think so yet, but I've never seen the smoke before, so it could be soon."

_Not quite, _a voice spoke in Ruby's head. Jaune looked like he was about to panic, while the rest of his team looked around confused. The rest of team RWBY smirked at their friend's confusion. Ruby turned around and saw Nalia slowly making her way across the courtyard. _Dragons can puff smoke at quite an early age. Fire comes around six months of life. Cerise still has a long way to go._

Ruby slumped her shoulders, slightly disappointed. Jaune, meanwhile, took a step back. "Y-You can talk?" he stuttered.

Nalia snorted. _Not like you know it, but yes, I can._

The young Rider looked back up at the green dragon. "Weren't you going to take Cerise out hunting again?"

_No!_ Cerise said excitedly. _You, Aaron, fight!_

Ruby looked at her dragon, confused. "Um, what?"

_Aaron wants to see how you fight,_ Nalia replied. _You know the basics of everything else, now he needs to know how competent you are in battle._

Ruby smiled. "Of course! I've been wondering the same about him!" She took out her Scroll and started searching for times sparring arenas around Beacon were available.

"That could get interesting," Weiss said. "Aaron most likely has a style that has never before been seen around here. That combined with Ruby's…unique style could make an impressive fight."

"Mind if we all tag along?" Yang asked for everyone.

Nalia turned her head slightly to the side and her eyes unfocused slightly, probably talking with Aaron. After a few seconds she refocused on the group in front of her. _We see no problem with having an audience. You are all welcome if you want to come._

"That's good, cause we were probably going to watch it either way." Came the voice of Zach, somewhat startling everyone, even the dragons.

"What do you mean by that? We would see you instantly. No offence, but a seven-foot-tall walking tank isn't exactly stealthy." Weiss said, with a bit of venom in her voice. Not enough to be noticed by most people, but enough for a trained ONI operative to notice. Especially one that has the ability to hear people's thoughts.

"Simple. Sniper Scopes and Active Camo." Zach said, as David pulled out Avenger, and Sakura turned invisible for a second. "Only reason we would do it is to find out what we _could_ be dealing with later on."

"There's an outdoor sparring arena open in an hour on the other side of the dorms," Ruby announced, having ignored Zach. She tapped a button on her Scroll and booked the arena. "Now it's ours. That should leave us with enough time to eat."

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked, warily eyeing Nalia.

"Of course not. I'm sure Aaron would love to meet you guys. He doesn't really know anyone here besides us anyway." With that, the three teams and dragons walked together to the cafeteria. The conversation turned to the final exams they all had. They all hated that Professor Port had a few questions on his various exaggerated adventures, and that Doctor Oobleck had a strict time limit which made answering at least two questions per minute mandatory. Except team Gray, but considering they almost always wore their highly advanced armors in classes that require notetaking, or at least a helmet, which had been said to be able to record what they see, that wasn't exactly surprising.

Many people along the way stared at the dragons walking across campus. Cerise positioned herself between Ruby and Nalia as if they provided some protection. Ruby placed a comforting hand on her dragon's shoulder. _Cerise, what's wrong?_

_People, stares, no like,_ Cerise whined.

Ruby sighed. _They're just curious. They've never seen a dragon before._

_Weapons. Scared…_ Cerise looked over at Yang, _...they like Yang. _

Ruby gasped. Weiss looked over at her teammate, but Ruby shrugged her off. Ruby wondered how she could miss her dragon's fear of people. _Cerise, no one here will attack you,_ Ruby comforted. _They have no reason to and they would get in trouble if they do. Anyway, they would be stupid to attack when you're surrounded by the best first year teams and another dragon that can take down Deathstalkers like they're nothing._ Cerise nodded, but still focused on the ground directly in front of her.

The group arrived at the Cafeteria and met Aaron outside. The older Rider apologized to team JNPR for his shortness with them the day before. "I had a long day yesterday," he said. "I just wanted to be alone and clear my thoughts."

Everyone who could fit through the doors entered the cafeteria and started talking. Aaron explained to JNPR the basics of where he was from and what a dragon Rider is, while leaving out is personal backstory. He also told them about the Fall and how he ended up in Remnant, leaving out any mention of magic. Ruby listened intently to see if she missed anything before, but she learned nothing new.

"There's something that isn't making sense to me," Pyrrha said. "If the Dragon Riders were among the best warriors in Alagaësia, how could so few take down so many?"

All eyes turned to Aaron. That question had been in the back of Ruby's mind as well. The older Rider sighed. "Superior tactics, ambushes, and trickery. Those the Traitor recruited were masters of the blade. We didn't stand a chance." He shook his head. "Enough of my sob story. What exactly is there to do around here except attend school and eat?"

"Well, if you're a cultured sort of person," Weiss answered immediately, "the theater scene in Vale is one of the best in the world. I don't know if you've been down Main Street in your time here, but it is home to some of the most revered theaters anywhere. Not even the Orphway in Mistral can compare."

Aaron nodded. "I don't think there's a Rider who doesn't have respect for the fine arts."

"Uh, Weiss," Yang said, "the VMC is on third."

"I'm not talking about a movie theater, you airhead!"

Yang laughed. "Anyway, I'm sure you've seen by now that we have moving pictures by now right? Well, movie theaters play what we call 'movies,' which has the same principle of the theaters I'm sure you're used to, but not live, and can be so much more exciting."

"I don't know, I've seen some exciting dramas in Ileria."

The blonde smirked. "Have there been explosions on stage? Major battles between thousands of people? Spaceships?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Spaceships?"

Yang's smirk turned into a full-blown smile. "Well, it looks like I'll have to introduce you to Galaxy Wars at some point."

"Originals first, sis," Ruby chipped in.

"Is there any other way?"

Jaune let out an exasperated sigh. "What is everyone's problem with Bar Bar?" Everyone at the table looked at him with concern, except Weiss who grimaced, Aaron who didn't know who Bar Bar Jinks was, and team Gray, who just didn't seem to care, or just weren't paying any attention, with Gregor even having begun cleaning one of his guns. "What?"

"Anyway," Ruby began to change the topic, "there's Forrest View on the other side of the city. It's one of the largest amusement parks in the world, and it has thirteen roller coasters."

Nora perked up and turned to Ren. "I know what we're doing tomorrow! We haven't been there in ages!"

Ren shrugged his shoulders. "Fine with me."

"What's a roller coaster?" Aaron asked.

"You have to ride one to really know," Ruby responded.

"I'd assume it's about as close to riding a dragon as normal people can get," Blake added.

Aaron raised his eyebrows at Blake. "Really? I'm really going to have to check that place out."

Ruby looked at the time on her Scroll. "We have about fifteen minutes to get to our sparring field."

"How long will it take to grab our weapons and make it to the site?" Aaron asked.

The younger Rider thought it over for a second then froze in place. "About fourteen." Ruby grabbed her food tray and ran to the dish return at a normal person's speed. She dumped the tray on the revolving return and made for the doors while the rest of the group was just standing up. As she left the building, Cerise ran alongside her. _I'll meet you at the arena, _the Rider thought at her dragon. She quickly thought over the map of campus in her head. Before she could tell Cerise directions though, she turned and started walking in the direction of the arena. Ruby slowed down and watched her dragon walk off. _How did...What? Did I just show Cerise a map?_ She shrugged. It was entirely possible.

Ruby continued to her rocket locker and grabbed Crescent Rose from inside. She folded it up into the little box for carrying it discretely. Aaron and Nalia would get a kick out of the reveal. Ruby quickly made her way to the arena to try and get there on time. She didn't like being late and she didn't know what Aaron thought on the subject.

She made it to the Arena just in time to not be late. Aaron was on the main floor while everyone else, including the dragons, stood on the sidelines. "Cutting it a little close, aren't you Ruby?" Aaron called as the younger Rider made her way into the arena. The older Rider looked over the younger. "Where's your weapon?"

Ruby smirked. "Right here." She pulled the compacted Crescent Rose out of her pocket and pushed a button. The red and black sniper-scythe formed in her hand. She stuck the tip into the ground and smiled. "Aaron, this is Crescent Rose."

Aaron and Nalia gaped at the sight. "How is that possible? There's more material now than could possibly fit in that box!"

Ruby chuckled. "That's _my_ secret. I don't just give that away to anyone."

_You made that weapon yourself? _Nalia asked, bewildered.

"Everyone here but Jaune made their own weapons."

"Actually, Riptide was a bit of a family heirloom, but I have made some modifications of my own to it." Percy said.

"Ve don't care." Gregor replied, only to be given the bird, getting a chuckle out of most everyone present.

Aaron looked around with a shocked look on his face. "You are all weapon smiths?" All the Beacon students nodded, except Jaune of course. "Impressive. The Riders only ever had one swordsmith. At a time." The last part sounded like it was added as an afterthought.

"Well let's see your sword," Ruby encouraged. Aaron shrugged and drew his sword. Ruby gasped. She just thought the scabbard was meant to match Nalia's scales, not the blade itself.

Aaron smiled at the blade. "This is Redemption, one of the last swords ever made for the Riders. It's forged from Brightsteel, the metal of a fallen star. Like all Rider's swords, it is nearly indestructible."

Ruby stared at the blade from her position in the Arena. "If I'm guessing right on the metal used, it's strong, but not that strong."

The smirk disappeared from Aaron's face. "Special techniques are used to enhance the strength." Ruby took the hint and dropped the topic. He apparently still didn't want JNPR to know about magic.

Aaron raised his sword into a defensive position. "Are you prepared?"

Ruby tugged on Crescent Rose and the point removed itself from the ground. "Are you?"

All remaining emotion drained from Aaron's face. "Then let us begin." He started circling around the arena watching Ruby carefully. Ruby decided to make the first move. She ran over to Aaron swinging Crescent Rose behind her. Aaron froze and place and rose Redemption. Ruby swung at her teacher, but he deflected it with surprising speed and strength. In the same motion, he twirled and elbowed Ruby in the face, or would have if her Aura allowed it. Still, Ruby reeled back. Before she could recover, she felt cold steel touch her neck. She froze in place, unwilling to move.

Aaron still wore the same emotionless face, which unnerved the younger Rider greatly. He lowered his sword after a few seconds. "I'm going to assume that you haven't warmed up and that was a careless mistake." He walked back to his original starting position while Ruby stood frozen in place.

Ruby looked over at those on the sidelines. Her teammates and JNPR wore expressions of amazement. Cerise looked worried for her Rider. Nalia, by contrast, had the same expressionless mask as Aaron. After a few seconds Ruby made her way back to her starting position and prepared for another fight.

The two Riders circled each other, neither making a move toward the other. Eventually Aaron lunged at Ruby, who caught the slash on the rifle part of Crescent Rose, just on the other side of the scope from her fingers. Aaron drew back and slashed again, this time at her right shoulder. Ruby blocked again, but only just. The older Rider attacked repeatedly, forcing the younger to stay defensive. Aaron swung a particularly strong slash toward the back of the rifle section which knocked the weapon out of one of Ruby's hands. Again, Aaron pointed the tip of his sword at his student's neck.

"Better," Aaron said as he lowered Redemption. "You haven't faced many sword users have you?"

"No," Ruby said. "How did you get so fast?"

"I've trained with elves. They are much _faster_ and stronger than any _normal_ person. I've even bested them on occasion." The emphasized words did not go over Ruby's head.

Both Aaron and Ruby returned to their starting locations. Ruby eyed her teacher carefully. If he was fast, she would have to be faster. She activated her Semblance and swung at Aaron. He blocked, but it was late, and he was forced back a few steps. Ruby rushed again and slashed at Aaron's torso. He blocked and was forced back, but he managed to get a swing at Ruby's cape before she could run off again.

Ruby changed tactics slightly. Aaron was perfectly capable at blocking a single speed attack, but what about multiple at close range? The younger rider charged the older and slashed multiple times. Aaron blocked them all, but only just. Just when Ruby thought she was getting the upper hand, Aaron slashed at her arms. Instead of Ruby's Aura absorbing the damage, the blade slammed full force into her arms. She yelped, dropped Crescent Rose and fell to her knees. This time, Aaron didn't place Redemption anywhere near Ruby's neck.

"Your Aura didn't block that?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"It prevented the cut but that's about it," Ruby moaned. She heard Aaron whisper a few words, but didn't recognize any of them. When he was finished, the pain disappeared. Ruby sighed in relief.

"I'll keep that in mind." He paused and bit his lip. "You ready to be done for now? I can understand after that hit."

Ruby shook her head. "No. One more round. There's one more thing I'd like to show off." Aaron nodded hesitantly. He walked back to his spot and looked up at Nalia. An unheard conversation passed between them. Ruby returned to her own spot and ticked the safety off on Crescent Rose.

Once more, the two Riders faced each other. Aaron charged, which was exactly what Ruby wanted. She pointed Crescent Rose straight down and fired. The two Alagaësians could just stare at the girl who just flew twenty feet in the air. Ruby landed and dug the scythe end into the ground and lined up a shot. Aaron figured out what was coming and moved to get out of the way. Ruby tracked him and fired.

It was a good thing she missed Aaron's center of mass. The Dust round passed right through his shoulder.

Aaron screamed and fell to the ground, convulsing from the Lightning Dust. Nalia roared and jumped over to her Rider and stood over him. Those still standing in the sideline were frozen in place, trying to understand what just happened. Ruby was also frozen to the spot. She dropped Crescent Rose in shock. Gregor and Zach jumped up and ran to Aaron, with Gregor pulling a strange white box with a red symbol off of his left leg as he did so (the Tactical/Trauma Kit).

Nalia, while blocking Gregor and Zach from getting to Aaron, turned on Ruby with rage in her eyes. _Why did you do that?_ the green dragon demanded. _He bruises you and you try to remove his shoulder? What justice is that?_

"I…I didn't…" Ruby stammered.

The angry dragon growled. _You didn't think! That's the problem with all you two-legs, you don't think over your actions._

Cerise jumped in front of Ruby and growled back at Nalia. Ruby glanced back at the people on the sidelines. Except for team Gray, those that had their weapons had them aimed them at the green dragon. Nalia growled at the students. "Guys, weapons down!" Ruby yelled. "Don't make this worse." All but Yang slowly lowered their weapons and Nalia returned her attention to Ruby.

Nalia looked like she was about to give Ruby another mental lashing when she snapped her head to the underside of the wing on the far side of her body. Instead of the growls from a few seconds ago, she hummed comfortingly. She stayed in that position for several minutes. Eventually the green dragon stood up and took a few steps back.

Aaron stood in her place rolling his shoulder out. "I liked that jacket," he said as he removed the destroyed piece of clothing. "Anyone know a good tailor around here?"

Ruby hesitated before she spoke. "I'm sorry! That usually doesn't happen. I thought your wards would be able to deflect that." She slapped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she just said. Aaron said she wouldn't physically be able to speak about their training with anyone but her team, even accidentally. When did he approve of team JNPR? Only a few minutes before it sounded like he didn't. Then again, there wasn't a hole in his shoulder anymore.

The older Rider waved her off and walked in her direction. "I thought the same thing. There's no permanent damage, so no harm done. What was that you shot though?"

"A .50 caliber Lightning Dust round." Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose from the ground and removed the magazine. She took out another of the Dust rounds and handed it to Aaron. He turned it over in his hand and looked over every minor detail. Aaron mumbled something under his breath, most likely in the Ancient Language.

"Nalia, help me remember:" he said, "normal wards don't protect against Dust rounds." Aaron blinked rapidly like he just had an epiphany. He looked back at Nalia with a strange look on his face. "Normal wards don't protect against Dust rounds." Nalia's expression changed from guilty and concerned to hopeful in the span of two seconds. Aaron smiled like he just won the Vytal Festival Tournament. He turned back to Ruby. "You may have just given us a chance at reclaiming Alagaësia."

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron walked back to the warehouse with team RWBY and team Gray. Team JNPR made their excuses and left the group shortly after they exited the arena, with Jaune looking sick. Aaron stared at the Lightning Dust round in his hand. _This could be the key to taking down Galbatorix, _he thought to Nalia._ The problem is how do we get enough back to Alagaësia._

_And getting close enough to use it,_ Nalia said. _He will know we're coming from miles away, and will most likely attack us while behind the Forsworn, and the army he's built up._

_True, but we at least have a chance now. When we're ready, we'll go back._ Aaron returned his attention to the warehouse. Luckily no more additions had been added, at least, none visible on the outside. He still wasn't sure if he trusted Ozpin or not. The man was too kind, too insightful. The only ones Aaron knew were genuinely like that adopted him seven years ago.

The group entered the warehouse and sealed the doors behind them. "You have a name for this place yet?" Yang asked.

"No, why" Aaron asked.

"It's not exactly a warehouse anymore, and it isn't just another building."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Does everything have to have its own name?" she asked. Aaron smirked. She had no idea.

"How about the Dragonhouse?" Ruby chipped in. "It's simple enough."

"It's too simple sis. Come on, you can do better."

"Actually," Aaron interrupted, "I think it fits. This is about the size of a typical dragon's house back home. There could be worse anyway."

Yang shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

The older Rider turned semi-serious. "Now, will someone tell me why you all insisted on coming here?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "I told my team about the other eggs, and they were…curious. I don't know about team Gray, though."

"Did you now?" Aaron sighed. He saw this coming a league away. The thing he didn't know was if Ruby could take the probable rejection of her teammates. He looked over at the unbonded women. "I'm going to tell you what I was told the day I was first brought before the eggs in Tierm. Being a Dragon Rider isn't about adventure or glory. It's about protecting people, whether it's from war, crime, disease, or themselves. It's a lifetime commitment and responsibility, and I'm sure Ruby has filled you in on how long that life can be."

"When you put it like that, being a Rider is not too different from being a huntress," Blake said. "I don't really see the negatives."

"I agree with Blake," Weiss said. "If anything, the two can build off each other."

"I just want to get better and better," Yang said, but lacking some of her usual confidence. "Having a dragon by my side would help with that a lot." Her eyes flicked over to Ruby for a fraction of a second. Aaron knew there was more to Yang's reason, and he couldn't argue with it. Family was important no matter where you're from.

"And you guys?" Aaron said, looking at team Gray.

"We were planning on going a bit more in depth as to our true origins and such." Zach replied.

Aaron nodded, then said to _WBY. "Then you all will be brought before the eggs." Nalia knelt down beside him and he removed the saddle bag that held the two eggs. He walked over to a now clean, table height ledge hanging off the wall. The unbonded members of team RWBY followed the older Rider, while Ruby, Cerise, Nalia, and team Gray hung back. Aaron placed the eggs on the ledge a few feet apart. He turned back to face the women. "Just place you hand on each egg for a few seconds. That will give the dragon inside enough time to see if you are worthy.

"Blake, you first." Blake stepped forward and placed a hand on the green egg. She held it there for a few seconds, then moved on to the golden. Out of all the girls, Aaron thought Blake was the least likely to become a Rider. It wasn't something with her personality, but the fact that she was a Faunus. The bond with dragons was only tied to elves and humans. Faunus are half animal, but the half human part may be enough.

"Weiss, you're next." The heiress walked up to the eggs and went through the same process. If Aaron was right, Weiss wanted to make a name for herself. He saw many of the same actions and attitudes among younger Riders and regular humans. Weiss most likely had a rough childhood and wanted to overshadow her parents. Then again, from the little time that he'd known her, Aaron saw she had a warm and caring heart under the cold exterior.

"Yang, you're up." The blonde placed her hand on the green egg, then moved to the gold. She paused with her hand hovering a few inches above the egg and cast a sideways glance at Ruby and Cerise. Yang finally placed her hand on the egg and held it there for a long time. She backed off after about twenty seconds, four times as long as any other placement.

As for Yang's chances, she seemed the most likely and one of the least for an egg to hatch for her. At least some of her motivation was unknown. If she really wanted to get better, there were plenty of other ways to do it, and most of them were less dangerous. However, she appeared to be the only one to _really_ want an egg to hatch for her. Was that, and the golden egg's relation to Cerise enough?

"So how long until we know if one of us has been chosen?" Blake asked.

"Hatching times can vary from a few hours to a few weeks," Aaron said. "The eggs will also only hatch if their Rider is near. I suggest you all come by here at least once per day for the next two or three weeks."

"Why don't we take the eggs back to our room?" Weiss asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Nalia and I are responsible for the eggs' safety. I already failed with Cerise' egg, I'm just glad it turned out to be a happy failure. No, the eggs will stay with us."

The girls nodded. "Well, we're going to be here a while," Yang said. "Anyone got Scrollflix? Aaron needs to see Galaxy Wars."

"Wars isn't on there, Trek is though," Weiss said.

Yang put a hand over her eyes. "Not another Trek is better rant."

While the two girls argued, Aaron made his way over to his student. "Ruby, can I talk to you and Cerise for a second?" He gestured to the far side of the Dragonhouse.

"Sure," she said. The two Riders and the red dragon walked together to the empty corner. Nalia positioned herself between the group and the rest of the girls. "What's this about?"

"I must apologize for something I did yesterday." Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "In the clearing, I was paying close attention to Cerise' condition, and I heard her first word."

Ruby made a confused face while Cerise growled. The younger Rider looked down at her dragon. "Is it that big of a deal?"

_It is,_ Nalia responded. _A bonded dragon's first words are intended for his or her Rider, and _**_only_**_ the Rider. Those that hear, intentionally or not, are subject severe punishment from the offended dragon and Rider._

Ruby blinked several times and her jaw dropped slightly. "How severe?"

"Anything short of dismemberment," Aaron responded in a flat tone.

Ruby looked down at Cerise and an unheard conversation passed between them. The young Rider shook her head a few times, then Cerise nodded once. "Well, you were making sure Cerise was alright, and I did almost take your arm off earlier, so we're even."

Aaron sighed. "Thank you Ruby. That is all I wanted to say for now."

"I do have a few questions though. Is it possible to send pictures in my head to Cerise?"

"Of course. In fact, that's a wild dragon's primary form of communication. You'd be surprised how many times it's more useful than just using words."

"One more thing," Ruby paused, "do you think either of the eggs will hatch for them?"

Aaron closed his eye and dipped his head. "Only time will tell."

* * *

POV: Zach

After Ruby and Aaron had rejoined the group, Zach was about to speak, when his armor formed a familiar hologram of a man in cobalt blue Mjolnir Mark IV power armor.

"What is that?" Aaron asked, his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to draw it if needed.

"_Zach, all of Gray team really, if you're seeing this, then that means you're still alive and kicking asses, probably literally in some cases."_ Church said. This received a few chuckles out of Gray team and Sakura looking at the hologram like she wanted to commit murder against it.

"_I've had a lot of fun with you guys over the years. The 3 years of the war that I was assigned to you for, the 9 years after it, and especially the, unanimously agreed upon, 3 years spent with Fairy Tail. You may have pissed me off repeatedly, but I came to think of you like family. I know you did too. But A.I.s like myself don't last."_

"No, don't you dare say that it's the end of the road for you. I still haven't gotten payback for that incident in 2558." Percy said.

"_I was nearly at the end of my ability to function when we found Fairy Tail, and it was a miracle that I hadn't kicked the can before that point. The only reason that I didn't hit rampancy during those 3 years is because I found a way to use the ethernano in the air there to extend my lifespan. But here, there's not enough in the air, and I can't just draw from your Origin. At this time, I'm unable to delete myself, and rampancy has begun to set in, so I've done the next best thing, I've isolated myself. The firewalls I have in place will only come down two years after I set them up, if I manage to get lucky and survive rampancy, or if I end up getting deleted during it."_

"No." Sakura said quietly, the tone of her voice indicating that she was on the verge of tears, which most of the SPARTANs in the room likely were.

_"It's been an honor serving with SPARTANs like you, and I wish you the best of luck with what those three old hags decide to throw at you next. I know this ain't how you would have wanted it to go, but that's life."_

"_And ain't that a bitch."_


	11. An Exchange of Expertise

Friday, August 21

POV: Aaron

There were two major things Aaron learned in his week of training Ruby. The first was that she was a fast learner. Ruby ate up any challenge her teacher threw at her. She progressed past floating a rock to breaking boulders in the Emerald Forest. In regards to wards, she cast some basic ones that protected from scratches and the like. Due to Rhunön's ward piercing enchantments, Redemption cut right through Ruby's Aura, something that weapons here couldn't do. Either she encountered or heard about Aura before, or some combination of spells worked to The only reason she still had arms was because Aaron blocked his sword's edge before Ruby arrived at the arena that first day. Her mental attacks became more and more vicious as time went on. The state of her defenses, however, Aaron nor Nalia could judge due to their inability to assault other minds.

Secondly, Aaron was completely outclassed in physical combat. While he technically won every one of their sparring matches, Ruby always held back. Her Semblance gave her too much of an advantage, and the wards to fend of the Dust rounds fired from Crescent Rose ate up too much of Aaron's energy. He needed his Aura unlocked so both of them could use their full strength. Pyrrha offered to unlock his Aura at one point, but Aaron rejected because of the…intimacy of the process.

Ruby also could attack from an incredible range. In fact, most students, law enforcement, and even civilians had weapons that could attack from far away. Aaron needed a weapon to attack from range. A bow and arrow seemed like the logical choice to someone who trained in using them, but the range and power of such a weapon were out classed so heavily by something that could fit almost in the palm of a hand. So, Aaron and Ruby were walking to the Armory on the outskirts of Beacon's campus to get the older Rider a weapon that he could use to even the odds.

"So how's Cerise doing today?" Aaron asked Ruby as they left the dorm.

Ruby beamed at the thought of her dragon. "She's doing great! She killed an Ursa today by herself. Nalia took out the other three, but she got one!"

Aaron chuckled. "That's one more than I have. She coming back yet, or is she still hunting?"

"She's been flying back for a few minutes now." As a confirmation, a loud roar came from behind the two. Aaron turned his head and saw the not-so-small red dragon flying right toward them, or more specifically, Ruby. Knowing what was coming, the older Rider took a few steps away from his student. Ruby's shoulders tensed up. "Here we go again."

Cerise slammed into her Rider at full force. Aaron winced. That had to hurt, even through Aura and wards. The scar on Cerise' leg caught his eye. For whatever reason, the scales there refused to regrow. It wasn't infected, and the skin beneath had healed, so Aaron saw no reason why they shouldn't be growing back. The dragon didn't seem to notice though, so the Rider stopped worrying.

Ruby playfully shoved Cerise' head away from her own. "You're getting a little too big to keep doing that," she said.

Cerise stepped back a few steps to let her Rider up. _I will only be too big when your Aura is drained in one hit._

"She's got you there, Ruby," Aaron laughed.

"By the way, nice job with that Ursa." Ruby patted her dragon on the shoulder.

Cerise puffed out her chest. _The first of many, I'm sure._

"Ruby, I believe we should get going so I can get my time slot in the firing range."

"Oh, right." Ruby turned and led the way to the armory. Cerise walked alongside her. "What else are you and Nalia doing today?"

_Nalia is taking me on 'agility' training in the mountains. Not sure what she means exactly, but I'm guessing it's to work on flying close to cliffs without hitting them._ Aaron smirked. Cerise didn't say anything wrong, but she didn't know about what she had to carry while flying.

"She's not pushing you too hard, is she?" Ruby asked.

_Not at all. She knows my limits before I do._

"Nalia's been through the training before," Aaron said, "and on a much stricter and more challenging regimen. We aren't trained in teaching though, so we're making this up as we go along." _And probably missing some important things._

Ruby laughed. "What would your teachers say if they saw your teaching style?"

"I'm not sure if they'd berate me or congratulate me, or some combination."

"Well I think you've been a great teacher so far."

"Let's see if you have that same opinion when we move away from combat." By that point, the group was just outside the armory. Cerise turned around and flew off to the mountains while Aaron and Ruby walked inside. The walls were lined with all sorts of merchandise. Weapons ranged from simple knives to what Ruby called a 'double-barreled rocket launcher.' The armor showcased varied from vests and other patches that could fit under clothes to the full sets of plate armor that was worn in Alagaësia. Aaron had his ruined jacket repaired and brought it here to get it armored. Armored clothing was fairly popular, if looking around at students in the cafeteria proved anything.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Ruby asked.

"Something small, or something that's good at both long and short range."

Ruby brought a hand to her chin, as if in deep thought. "A pistol or an assault rifle." She walked over to a display case with various types of handguns. She pointed to one of the larger ones inside. "How about the Desert Falcon? Technically both this and Crescent Rose are .50 cals, but the ammo is completely different. Back to this thing, it's fairly close range, but it does the job. If adjusted right, it can have some good stopping power. Looks like this one can fire eight rounds before reloading."

Aaron looked in the case. The Desert Falcon was definitely the thickest handgun in there, but it still looked relatively easy to handle with one hand. "This one looks good for a tight situation," he said.

Ruby nodded the walked over to a wall labeled 'assault rifles.' "As for one of these, I'd suggest the V4. It's getting old, but it's reliable. Police have been using it for years. The military used it when it first came out, but they've upgraded in the past few years."

"What's the purpose of the ridges on the barrel?"

"Various attachments. A flashlight, another grip," Ruby smirked, "a grenade launcher."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Grenades are those small, metal things that blow up, right?" Ruby nodded, and Aaron grinned. "Okay, I'll have to check this one out too."

"Great! I'll talk to the quartermaster and see about getting you some test weapons." While Ruby ran off to talk to the man behind the thick pane of glass, Aaron looked around some more. His eyes rested on the shields in the back corner. He always fought with a shield back in Alagaësia, and he did miss having one when he sparred with Ruby. He was glad he ordered one of them when he brought in his jacket.

After a few minutes, Ruby waved Aaron to the back room. The Desert Falcon and the V4 lay on a table inside, along with two pairs of earmuffs. "Quartermaster said only one magazine for each," Ruby said.

"Where is he anyway?" Aaron asked. "Shouldn't he be here when people are testing weapons?"

"Pfft, he knows me, and I know more about some of the weapons here than he does." She picked up the Falcon and one set of earmuffs and walked over to the firing line. "First off, _never_ point a gun at someone unless you intend to shoot them." Ruby listed off several firearm safety rules that seemed like common sense to Aaron, but those rules are made for a reason.

After finishing her lecture on safety, Ruby put on her earmuffs and motioned for Aaron to do the same. "The safety is on the end of the slide here." She flicked the switch she pointed at, then faced down range. An image of a Beowolf appeared at the far end. "Line up the target in the sights," Ruby brought the gun up to eye level, "and gently ease back on the trigger."

The Desert Falcon made an extremely loud bang heard even through the earmuffs. The gun spat fire and launched a piece of metal flying at the fake Beowolf at incredible speeds. A red light lit up on the Grimm, right in the center of the mask. Ruby fired three more shots, all landed within an inch of the first. The Falcon jumped back in the young Rider's hands after each shot, but she controlled the bucking weapon like an experienced stablehand. She flicked the safety on again and pointed the gun at the ground.

Aaron whistled and removed one side of his earmuffs. "Nice grouping there. I've only seen some of the elves get that close in such a short time."

Ruby shrugged. "It's been too long since I've fired anything other than Crescent Rose. I'm slipping." She shifted her grip to the barrel of the weapon and offered it to Aaron grip first. As the older Rider stepped up to the firing line, Ruby snapped her head back to the wall behind them. "Why is Nalia having Cerise carry boulders while flying?"

"Because you never know how much she'll need to carry someday. It also builds stamina."

"Okay," Ruby said, really not understanding. "Be careful when firing that thing. It has quite the kick." Aaron focused on setting his grip on the Falcon like Ruby had. After a few seconds he had the right grip, then raised the weapon to eye level. A few pieces of iron stuck out of the top of the gun that looked to form a line. Aaron pointed this imaginary line at the Beowolf's chest. He attempted to flick off the safety with an index finger several times before getting it. Ruby snickered behind him.

Aaron slowly pulled back on the trigger. The expected sound and flash came out of the end, but he didn't expect the gun to come flying back at him. He stopped the barrel of the gun only an inch from his nose. "Barzul!" he yelled, using the old dwarvish curse. "You weren't kidding about the kick." He looked downrange at the Beowolf. A red dot appeared roughly where he intended.

"No one ever expects recoil on that level on the first shot." Ruby was visually and audibly trying to hold back a laugh. "Finnish your shots with that and we can move on." Aaron raised the Falcon back to eye level and targeted the dot he made before. He fired once, and controlled the kickback much better than he did before. The shot landed just to the right of the first. Aaron fired the remaining two shots in quick succession. Those shots also hit their target. Even though the gun was empty, he flicked the safety back on.

"This one is definitely an option," Aaron said as he placed the Falcon back on the table.

"I've never seen anybody take to the Desert Falcon so easily," Ruby replied with the V4 already in hand. She ejected the magazine, looked inside, and then pushed it back into place. "This one has less kick and power to each bullet, but fires much faster and has a longer range. The V4 has a standard thirty round magazine, and can fire single shot or a three-round burst."

Ruby brought the weapon up to her shoulder and aimed at the Beowolf again. She flicked the safety off then fired one shot, quickly fired by another two. She flicked the safety switch again, and three bullets flew out next time she pulled the trigger. Aaron noticed something about these shots though. They weren't concentrated on one point. It wasn't until Ruby fired three more bursts until Aaron figured out why. Two in the eyes, one in the nose, the rest forming a smile.

"Showing off? Aaron asked, a smirk on his face.

Ruby shrugged and flicked the safety back to its original position. "When you have the bullets, why not?" She handed the V4 to Aaron. "The safety on this one also controls the fire rate. The first notch is a single shot, the second is the three-shot burst."

Aaron took the weapon and stepped up to the firing line. He turned the safety switch to the single-shot position and aimed at the Beowolf. The Rider pulled the trigger and launched a bullet at the fake Grimm. It hit right in the center of the creature's head. Aaron fired two more shots, concentrating on a close grouping. They landed just on either side or the first. Aaron switched the V4 to the burst-fire setting, then fired one at the Beowolf. The three bullets landed one on top of the other. Aaron fired the remaining three bursts into the target, all ending up in the head of the fake Grimm.

The older Rider lowered the weapon and smiled. The V4 felt right. It wasn't as good of a connection between him and Redemption, but then again, nothing could come that close. "I like this one," he said.

"Are you sure you've never shot a gun before?" Ruby asked, her tone suggesting that she was in a state just short of awe.

"I've never even heard of guns before I came here." Aaron flicked the safety back on and set the V4 back on the table. "So what's the purchasing process like here? Something tells me it's different than it is at a clothes shop in the city."

"It's not too different. We need to let the quartermaster know we're done then pay up at the booth. He'll need to see your ID too. You do have your scroll on you, right?"

Aaron dug into a pocket and felt around for the device he received from Ozpin only two days before. He didn't understand most things it could do, but he did know that it at least could be used for long distance communication and identification. As expected, the scroll sat inside one of the side pockets on his jeans. "I have it."

Ruby nodded, then knocked on the door to the back room. A few seconds later the quartermaster came out and started to talk with the younger Rider. Aaron meanwhile sent his thoughts out to Nalia. _How is Cerise doing?_ he asked.

_She is carrying about a quarter of her weight with no problem,_ Nalia responded, a hint of pride in her mental voice. _I think she's ready. She just needs to be fitted._

_You have the surprise stored somewhere, don't you?_

_In our cave. I'll send Cerise back to the Dragonhouse while I fetch it._ Aaron pulled back into his own mind just as Ruby apparently finished saying something funny to the quartermaster. The man grabbed both weapons and walked back into the backroom.

"Did I miss something?" Aaron asked his student.

"Nothing you would understand," Ruby said, trying to hold back a laugh. "Come on, Ash said he'll meet us around front." Aaron shrugged as Ruby led the way up to the supposedly bulletproof glass.

"You find what you were looking for?" the quartermaster named Ash asked.

"I think I'm going to go with the V4," Aaron said. "I believe I also have two other things reserved as well."

"I'm going to need to see your ID." Aaron handed his scroll to Ash through the depression between the glass and the wooden ledge. Ash placed the scroll under a red light. Something beeped and the quartermaster looked at something Aaron couldn't see.

"It looks like you have a shield and an armored jacket to pick up. I'll go grab them from around back." Ash disappeared into the backroom. Ruby began telling Aaron about the various weapons in the main room. She started out slow and slowly picked up speed as she talked. Aaron followed along for the most part, but he couldn't understand more than half of what his student said.

Luckily Ash returned from the backroom before Ruby could burn herself out. He placed the shield, jacket, and V4 in a drawer on his side of the glass. "Will this be going on your student account or will you be paying in some other way?"

"Student account will be fine." That was the only way Aaron could actually pay for the gun. While he still had a substantial amount of Lien from his…activities in his first two weeks in Vale, it wouldn't cover half of the V4.

Ash nodded and pressed a few buttons. "Okay, you're all set." He pushed the drawer on his side, and it opened in front of Aaron. "Hope these serve you well. Ruby, don't let him hurt himself with anything here."

Ruby laughed. "Don't worry, he's a natural with the V4."

Aaron grabbed his jacket out of the drawer and held it up. The hole Ruby accidentally made was sewed up expertly. No trace of blood existed either. The jacket itself weighed a little more. The only visible armor plates rested on the shoulders and elbows. The front and back felt like they were filled with a mix of plate armor and some type of armor Aaron didn't recognize. He turned the jacket around and saw the symbol he asked to be sewed on: a white silhouette of a dragon in full flight. Aaron smiled and put the jacket on, barely noticing the weight increase.

The older Rider slung his new V4 over his back, then picked up and inspected his shield. The same symbol on his back gleamed on the metal shield, only in forest green instead of white. Overall, the initial impressions of his new equipment were good, but Aaron wouldn't know how it all held up until he got in a fight. He looked back up at Ash. "Thank you for you service, sir," he said.

Ash smiled and nodded. "Come back anytime." With that, Aaron and Ruby left the armory, heading back to the Dragonhouse to give the younger Rider a chance to earn that title.

* * *

POV: Ruby

"Why is Nalia having Cerise come back early?" Ruby asked.

"You two are going to do some training together," Aaron responded.

"So, we're testing each other's mental capabilities again?"

"That's part of it."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Why do you have to be so cryptic about everything?"

Aaron smirked. "This time I just want to see the look on your face when Nalia arrives." Ruby blinked a few times. This was either really god or really bad.

Cerise was already waiting in the Dragonhouse when the two Riders arrived. For once, she didn't tackle Ruby on sight. She just looked over at her Rider and hummed. _Apparently boulders are easier to break than they are to carry, _she told Ruby.

_Come on, it couldn't have been that bad,_ Ruby said as she patted her dragon on the shoulder. _You're not about to collapse._

The red dragon nodded. _Nalia has some other plans for today that I'll need my strength for. I don't know what._

Aaron said that we'll be training together on something, but I don't know what that could be.

"Nalia's almost here," Aaron called as he walked over to the pair. "Let's see if I can time this right."

"You have some sort of dramatic reveal planned?" Ruby asked.

Aaron smirked. "Something like that. Now, I'd like to say that you two are progressing far faster than I expected. It might be Nalia's and my training techniques, but I'm expecting it's you two. I've never heard of a human Rider able to split a boulder with only a few days of training, and Cerise is growing at an extremely fast rate, even for a dragon." Ruby blushed and Cerise looked away slightly.

The main door of the Dragonhouse opened slowly, revealing Nalia holing something in one of her front paws. "Now it's time for the both of you to know why we're called Dragon Riders." Nalia dropped what she was carrying and Ruby gasped. It was a saddle. There was nothing fancy about it, just a plain, brown leather saddle.

Ruby couldn't hold back her smile. It was a blank slate. She could do anything she wanted with it. As long as it fit Cerise, it was perfect. Cerise shared in her Rider's excitement. The red dragon walked up to the saddle and looked it over herself. She gently flipped it over and sniffed it. Cerise nodded, satisfied.

"Normally, you'd be taught how to make your own, but honestly," Aaron scratched the back of his neck, "I'm terrible at it. After several less than adequate attempts, my friend Brom helped me out. He actually made most of it while I just helped with measuring and fitting."

"I'm sure I could figure it out myself." Ruby walked over to the saddle herself and knelt down beside it. She looked over the straps and ran them through her hands. They felt both smooth yet strong. "How hard was it to find one with straps this long?"

Aaron sighed. "Finding a place that sells saddles was hard enough. Only one in the city would extend the straps to that length. Trust me, in the coming months, you'll need every inch."

Ruby picked up the saddle, looked over at Cerise, then back at Aaron. "How exactly do I put this on?" Over the next ten minutes, Aaron explained the proper way to saddle a dragon, from where to place it on Cerise' back to how tight the straps should be. Ruby insisted on doing all the work herself, with Aaron only telling her what to do.

When Cerise was properly saddled, she stood up and moved all her joints to make sure she could still move. She snorted her approval. _This will work, _she said. _It's light and it doesn't impede my movements too much._

Ruby smiled, then thought of something that could be a problem on a long flight. "Do saddles chafe?" she asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Only if you clamp your legs." he looked over at Ruby, "Just trust Cerise and leave the flying to her. You'll be relaxed in no time."

"Good to know."

_Would you two stop talking?_ Cerise asked as she shook her back end. _Get over here so we can fly._ Ruby didn't need to be told twice. She jumped from the ground directly into the saddle and strapped her legs in. The red dragon quickly moved outside the Dragonhouse and waited for Nalia. Cerise' excitement radiated off her. _I can't wait for you to feel the wind! _she told Ruby exclusively._ You'll never want to walk again._

Aaron climbed onto Nalia's back while she was moving out the door. "You might want to hold onto that spike in front of you," he called. "Also, while in the air, mental communication is best. We won't be able to hear one another due to the wind." With that, Nalia lifted her wings and drove them down, flinging her and her Rider into the air.

Cerise looked back at Ruby. _Hold on tight! _She lifted her wings and held them there, making her Rider's anticipation grow. After a few seconds, she plunged them to the ground. Ruby gasped and tensed up her grip on the neck spike in front of her. She wasn't expecting that much G-force, and she almost impaled her own head on the spike. Cerise slowed her ascent but didn't stop climbing.

As the dragon flew, the air grew slightly colder. Ruby suddenly wished her hood and cloak were thicker, even though they couldn't be that high yet. She looked down at Beacon and saw the ground already a thousand feet below her. "Wow," she said, more to herself than anyone. She'd been in flying vehicles before, but she'd never felt so exposed, so free.

The two dragons reached about a quarter mile off the ground. Aaron stood in his saddle arms outstretched and eyes closed. Ruby snickered. She thought she saw the same pose in a movie once. Cerise roared at Nalia, and she roared back. The two dragons lined up side by side in the air, and Aaron strapped his arms to his saddle. Ruby looked at the back of her dragon's head. _Cerise, what's going— _

Cerise shot forward in a burst of speed, sending Ruby back in her saddle. If she hadn't strapped her legs in, she would have fallen back to the ground below. With some effort, Ruby grabbed the neck spike again. Her eyes watered due to the sheer amount of air rushing past her face. She blinked her eyes several times to try to get the tears out, but it didn't help.

Still, it felt so good. Cerise flew about as fast as Ruby could run with her semblance. But Ruby didn't feel the wind while she ran. The G-forces when Cerise banked and rolled were more intense than any roller coaster could produce, and it was all random. No track for anticipation. This was an entirely new experience, and she loved it.

After several minutes of free flying, the dragons hovered over the city of Vale. They roared at each other again. Cerise was panting, tired from the exertion. Ruby returned her gaze to the back of Cerise head. _Next time you take off like that, warn me please._

Cerise turned back with a gleam in her eye. _No promises._ The Rider and dragon shared a laugh.

_Looks like I'm going to have to get some motorcycle goggles after all._

_Wasn't Yang pressing you to get some before?_

_Yeah, she was. _Ruby looked at the ocean to the west. She smirked as an idea popped into her head. _Speaking of Yang, time to make her super jealous. _She explained her idea to Cerise, and she agreed. The red dragon gained height and flew over the ocean. Nalia and Aaron followed close behind, even though they had no idea what their students were up to.

Cerise flew to about two miles over the ocean. The wind blew fiercely and had a bite to it, but Ruby didn't plan of staying up there long. She untied the straps around her legs and threw her right leg over to the left side of her saddle. As Aaron reached the same height and saw what Ruby was doing, he nearly panicked. _Ruby!_ he screamed with his mind, _What are you doing?_

Ruby just smiled and yelled with her voice and mind, "Skydiving!" She slid out of the saddle and started her free-fall. Her arms spread out by instinct to slow her fall. Cerise circled around her Rider in a more controlled descent. Once again, skydiving was a new experience. The closest she ever came to it was being flung into the Emerald Forest for initiation, and there she had trees and Crescent Rose to break her fall. Here, it was just her, gravity, and the water below. Ruby saw a bird in her way and barely twisted her body in time to miss it.

A few hundred feet above the water, Cerise decided Ruby fell far enough and eased into her Rider saddle side up, then slowly leveled out her wings, bringing them into a fast glide. Ruby struggled to catch her breath as Cerise landed on the beach. She slid off the saddle and lay against her dragon's side. About a minute later Nalia landed next to them. Aaron jumped off his dragon's back. "What the heck was that?" he demanded. Ruby couldn't tell if his anger was genuine or not.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Ruby said when she caught her breath. She turned her head to Cerise and gave her a thumbs up. "Nice catch." She patted her dragon on the shoulder.

Aaron stood dumbfounded, then broke into laughter. "That did look like fun. What did you call that? Skydiving?"

"Yep, it's normally done with parachutes though. I guess we don't need them though."

Aaron continued to laugh. "I guess we don't. I'm surprised no one's tried that before. Now, I can't believe I—" Aaron snapped his head toward the city. Nalia did the same and growled.

Ruby looked at the two in shock. "What's going on?"

Her teacher pointed a finger toward the heart of the city. "Extend your mind about a mile in that direction." Ruby did as instructed. At first she didn't see or feel anything out of place, and was about to pull back when she found what Aaron and Nalia did.

Ruby scowled and Cerise growled. A little girl was being kidnapped.

* * *

**Another chapter that I couldn't find anything in to really change. Sorry about that, but you try finding a way to insert my OCs in this one.**


	12. ANCR

Friday, August 21

POV: Ruby

Ruby stared down at the nondescript red car a few hundred feet beneath her. From the outside, it was no different than any other car on the road. Somewhere inside though, a little girl was scared for her life. Ruby, Aaron, and their dragons had followed the car for several blocks, looking for a safe place to stop the vehicle. So far, every street was packed with people and other vehicles.

Cerise tensed up beneath her Rider. _This is taking too long, _she growled. _We should go now before they go another block._

_Patience Cerise,_ Nalia snarled. _If we take him down now, civilians could be endangered just by us landing. Anyway, this bastard isn't going to get away. I doubt one of those vehicles could out speed a dragon._

_You'd be surprised,_ Ruby said. Soon, the car on the ground turned down a side street with minimal foot traffic. Ruby tightened her grip on a fully extended Crescent Rose. _I think this is our chance._

Across the sky, Aaron nodded and grasped his V4. _Let's do this. Cerise, land behind the car. We'll take front._ With that, Nalia folded her wings and dove for the ground at incredible speed. Cerise followed suit at a slightly different angle. Ruby closed her eyes tightly to keep them from tearing up. If it came to a fight, she had to be ready.

Nalia landed in front of the car and immediately blocked the road with her body. She snarled at the driver, showing a rare event of true anger. Cerise landed hard behind the vehicle, jarring Ruby. She recovered quickly and jumped out of the saddle, the rifle end of Crescent Rose pointing at the car.

Aaron dismounted Nalia and aimed his own weapon at the driver. "Step out of the vehicle now, and you will not be harmed," he yelled. Nalia growled and curled her claws to accent the statement. Ruby saw the driver look in his side view mirror, most likely to look for an escape route. Unfortunately for him, he would have to go through both an angry Huntress and dragon.

After what felt like several minutes of waiting, the driver's side door opened and the kidnapper stepped out with his hands in the air. Aaron cautiously stepped forward with his weapon still raised. Still, there was some uncertainty in his eyes. _Ruby,_ he asked mentally without changing his face, _what exactly is acceptable for your police to do in this situation?_

If the situation was different, Ruby would have laughed. _Tell him to get face first on the ground and spread out his hands. _Aaron blinked, the only sign he heard Ruby. The older Rider did what she said though, and the kidnapper dropped to his knees, and then to his stomach.

Aaron lowered his weapon and approached the criminal. "Ruby, get the girl," he ordered. Ruby closed Crescent Rose and searched the car with her mind. She located the poor girl in the trunk and ran over to the car. The young Rider cast a spell to unlock the trunk.

Ruby opened the trunk and gasped. She knew that there was a girl in there, but she didn't know her condition. Her wrists and ankles were bound together and her mouth gagged. Bloody scratches ran along her face and arms. Only one dog ear stuck out of her hair, blood oozing from where the other should have been. Her whole body was shaking from fear and pain. This was the worst case of Faunus abuse Ruby had ever seen in person, or heard of for that matter.

"Come on, let's get you out of there." Ruby stuck an empty hand out to use cast a spell to break her bonds, but the girl's fear spiked and wormed her way to the back of the trunk, where she shook even more. Ruby quickly brought her hand back, shocked herself. She expected the girl to be happy to see her to get her out of the trunk. How did people do this? Ruby searched through her training to find the right words to hopefully calm her down. She knew they were there somewhere. She put on the warmest smile she could when she found them. "Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal." I am a Rider and a friend. Ruby put some energy into the words so the girl would hopefully understand.

Thankfully, the girl stopped shaking and her breathing slowed. Tears started streaming down her face. Ruby stuck her hand out again and cast the spell. The bonds around the girl's wrists and ankles ripped and fell away. She tore at the cloth in her mouth and ripped it off. She took a few deep breaths, then looked back at Ruby who still held her hand out. The girl hesitantly took the Rider's hand.

Ruby helped the Faunus girl out of the trunk and on to the ground. She nearly collapsed as she put her weight on her right foot, so Ruby carried her over to the curb. The Rider sat the girl down on the curb. "I'm going to do what I can to treat your injuries," she said. "This may itch a little, but you'll feel better when it's done." First Ruby stopped the bleeding from the stump that used to be an ear. Ruby checked the Faunus' right leg and found out that it was broken. She bit her lip. Aaron had only touched on that once before, but he was occupied. With Cerise' help. Ruby repaired the damage to the leg. The girl squirmed while the bone reset itself, but gave a sigh of relief when it returned to its normal condition. The only remaining visual injuries were the cuts. They were numerous, but thankfully not deep. Ruby sealed them all with a few more spells. She tried to keep her exhaustion from showing. That took more out of her than she thought it would.

When all the cuts disappeared, the Faunus girl ran her hands over arms and legs. Her face slowly turned from one of fear to amazement. She moved a hand up to her ear stump and her spirits fell again. "Can—can you fix my ear?" she asked.

Ruby frowned and thought it over. As far as she knew, it was possible regrow it, but she wasn't nearly that far in training. She looked over at Aaron, who had the kidnapper folded over the hood of the car. He stared into the back of the criminal's head like he was trying to get some information out of the criminal. _Aaron, _Ruby hesitantly called.

_What?_ came the quick and short response.

_Can you do anything about her ear?_ Aaron looked over for the first time at the girl from the trunk. His face was one of confusion mixed with anger. He looked her over several times trying to figure out which ear, then he focused his eyes on the remaining dog ear. His face cleared in realization.

He turned to Nalia and jerked his head at the kidnapper. She nodded then growled at the criminal. Aaron walked quickly to the two sitting on the curb. The girl squeaked then grabbed onto Ruby's arm. She looked back and forth between Cerise and Nalia rapidly. "What are they?" she whispered.

Ruby placed a hand on the girl's. "They aren't Grimm. They're dragons, and they're very friendly." She gestured over at Cerise to come closer. The dragon came, though slightly confused. The younger Rider scratched behind her dragon's ear, her favorite spot. Cerise leaned into it and started humming.

The girl stopped gripping Ruby's arm so tightly. "Like a big kitty."

Ruby nodded and smiled. "Like a big kitty." She had the same thought many times before.

Aaron knelt down in front of the girl and looked her in the eyes. "May I take a look at your ear?" he asked.

The girl hesitated, then nodded. Aaron sat down on the curb and placed a hand a few inches of the girl's head. She squirmed a little, but otherwise didn't move. Ruby decided it was probably time to break the ice a little and calm the girl down. "So, what's your name?" she asked.

The girl paused for a second before answering. "Violet Calrow."

"Hi Violet. I'm Ruby, this is Aaron, that is Cerise, and over there is Nalia." Ruby gestured at each person and dragon in turn. "We're students at Beacon academy."

Violet nodded, then seemed to realize something. She looked around frantically, tightening her grip on Ruby's arm again. Tears started to flow again. "Where am I? Where's my mommy?"

Ruby hesitated. She had a feeling that was coming. "We're on the northeastern side of Vale. Where were you when you got…separated from your mommy?"

The girl stayed silent for several seconds. "We were walking home from a movie. I saw a Lien card on the ground, then…" Violet closed her eyes and started sobbing. Ruby wrapped her arms around the girl. That was probably the wrong question to ask, but at least she had a rough idea of where Violet's mom was. There were several movie theaters on this side of the city, but only one of them in the direction the kidnapper drove from.

Police sirens finally could be heard over the noise of the city. Ruby looked in their direction and saw three police cruisers a few blocks down. They sped down the street and screeched to a stop a couple dozen feet in front of Cerise. The officers exited their vehicles, and several of them pointed their weapons at the red dragon in front of them.

Ruby and Cerise tensed up. They saved a little girl from a kidnapper and now they were being targeted? It wasn't right. Thankfully, one officer grabbed the gun of another and pointed it at the ground. "You heard the chief," he yelled to all the officers. "They're from Beacon. They aren't hostile." The police lowered their weapons, but several kept their weapons ready. The red dragon and Rider released some of their tension as the officer in charge walked up to them.

Aaron sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry Violet. There's nothing I can do at the moment." He moved to meet the police officer on the other side of Cerise. They exchanged a few words and Aaron pointed at the kidnapper who was being held in place by Nalia's glare.

Cerise gave off a strange feeling as she looked Violet in the eyes. _I think I may be able to help,_ she said.

Violet blinked several times. "You can talk?"

The red dragon hummed her confirmation. _I can do much more than that._ She moved her head in close to Violet's. The Faunus girl froze in fear. Ruby knew Cerise wouldn't do anything harmful, but she still had no idea what her dragon was doing besides scaring the life out of Violet.

Cerise touched her snout to the girl's forehead, then quickly took a few steps back. She lowered her head to the ground, and took on the face of a dog asking for forgiveness. Ruby stared at her dragon for a few seconds, then turned to apologize to Violet for the confrontation.

Before Ruby could speak, she noticed _two _dog ears sticking out of Violet's hair. The one that was only a stump seconds before stood out, though without any hair of its own. Violet hesitantly reached up and rubbed the spot where Cerise touched her forehead. Her hand traveled up and bumped the tip of her new ear. She gasped, then ran her hand up and down her ear and tugged it a few times to make sure it was real.

Ruby looked at Cerise in disbelief. "How did you do that?" she asked out loud.

Cerise just shrugged, still keeping her head low. _I felt like I had to._

Violet looked at Cerise with an expression Ruby couldn't read. The girl got up and slowly walked over to the red dragon. Cerise slightly lifted her head off the road. Violet stopped right by the dragon's head, then wrapped her arms around Cerise' snout. "Thank you," she whispered. Cerise hummed and slowly blinked her eyes.

Ruby was so focused on the sight in front of her, she didn't see Aaron walking up to her. "The police have this criminal, and now we need to go," he said. "There's more of them out there."

The younger Rider looked up at her teacher as she stood up. "More of who?"

Aaron grimaced. "More kidnapped Faunus. It seems there's an organization in the city involved in their sale."

Ruby froze. "Sale?" She looked down at Violet and Cerise. Who would do such a thing to anyone? She turned back to Aaron. "Where?"

"2187 South Fifth Street. The police are heading there now, but if Violet's condition is anything to go by, they'll need us there." Aaron turned around and walked back to Nalia.

Ruby gulped, then placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we have to leave now."

Violet looked up at Ruby, fear creeping back into her eyes. "Why?" she asked with a tremble in her voice.

The young Rider knelt down to look Violet in the eyes. "That bad man has done the same thing to many others. The police will need our help to find and heal them. There are many officers here to watch you until your mommy comes to get you." Violet hesitated, then nodded. She removed her arms from around Cerise and took a few steps back.

Ruby stood up and waved an officer over. He was a little hesitant to approach Cerise, but he did make it over. "What can I do for you ma'am?" he asked.

"Violet needs someone to look after her until her mommy gets here. Would you be able to do that," Ruby took a quick look at the officer's name-tag, "Officer Bradburn?"

Bradburn took a quick look down at the Faunus girl and put on a genuine smile. "I think I can do that." He got down on one knee and started talking to Violet, trying to calm her down and to get to know her. Ruby meanwhile jumped into Cerise' saddle and strapped in. She looked over at Aaron who was already in position on his dragon's back. He nodded, then Nalia jumped into the air. Cerise followed the larger dragon immediately.

The two dragons flew with all possible speed toward the place where the Faunus were being held against their will. Ruby tried not to think about what she'd see inside. She knew she'd remember how Violet looked when she opened the trunk for the rest of her life. If her condition was any indication of how the others would be… Ruby shuddered at the thought.

On the flight over there, an image suddenly popped into Ruby's head. It was of eight Faunus chained to the floor and walls of a room. They all had similar injuries to Violet; cuts on their arms, legs and faces and either an ear, antler, or part of a tail cut off. Just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving Ruby confused before she shook the confusion out of her head. She needed to focus.

They reached the building just as a SWAT team arrived. The dragons hovered above the building, unsure if the roof could hold their considerable weight. Ruby and Aaron jumped off their dragons and drew their respective weapons. Aaron decided to go with his shield and Redemption. "Ruby, search the building," he ordered.

Ruby stretched out her mind to the building below. "I'm counting seven Faunus on the floor below us, and eight men on the ground ready to take on the SWAT team."

Aaron moved to the edge of the roof and waved at the police on the ground, then he moved toward the only door on the roof. "You ever clear a building before?" he asked.

"Never. I've only seen it done on TV."

The older Rider used a spell to unlock the door. "My only advice, make sure you know who you are attacking beforehand." Aaron opened the door and ran inside. Ruby followed as fast as she could, Crescent Rose wasn't exactly designed for tight spaces.

Aaron kept his shield in front while going down the stairs. The sound of gunshots started coming from the floor below. The two Riders picked up their pace until they came to another door. Throwing their stealth out the window, Aaron charged his shield into it and splintered the door.

The smell hit Ruby like a truck as she entered the large room. It could only be described as a sewer. She resisted the urge to cover her nose as she scanned the room. It was dark, the only light coming from gaps in the boards covering the windows. Even so, Ruby could tell the only other one standing in the room was Aaron. She lowered her weapon and closed her eyes tightly to adjust them to the dark.

Ruby opened her eyes and looked around. She stood in the center of what might as well have been a medieval prison. Eight Faunus sat chained to the floors and walls. They all had similar injuries to Violet; cuts on their arms, legs and faces and either an ear, antler, or part of a tail cut off. Judging by the smell, they all had to relieve themselves while chained up.

Dread overtook Ruby. If there were eight Faunus chained up, why could she only count seven minds? She looked around one more time and nearly lost her lunch. A cat Faunus girl lay slumped against the wall, with a large cut in her throat. She couldn't have been older than ten.

A hand grabbed Ruby's shoulder and spun her around. She found herself looking at Aaron's concerned face. "Ruby, there's nothing you can do for her now, but we can help everyone else." Ruby nodded absentmindedly, then turned back to look at the body. She was too late to save that girl, she wouldn't be late for anyone else. Then something hit her. Had she seen a glimpse of the future?

Before she could focus on it too much, the SWAT team burst into the room. The flashlights on their rifles swept the room searching for more targets. They paused on the two Riders for only a moment before moving on. "Clear!" one of them eventually shouted. The officers lowered their weapons and took in the scene for what it was.

"What kind of monster would do this?" one officer asked.

"The kind that are laying on the ground dead downstairs," the first officer said. "Cut these Faunus loose and get them to the ambulances outside." The officers split up, one heading to each prisoner. By now, all those chained up were aware that the newcomers were there to get the out. One girl sobbed uncontrollably.

"Got some thick chains here," an officer called out. "Need some bolt cutters."

Ruby walked over to one of the prisoners. She pointed a hand at the chains binding the boy's hands and said, "Jierda." The chains broke and fell away. Ruby did the same for the leg bindings. The officer looked at Ruby, then picked the kid up off the floor. Across the room Aaron did the same for another prisoner. The two Riders continued the process for all other Faunus. Thankfully, Aaron freed the one who died so Ruby didn't have to go near her.

All but one of the officers grabbed a now free prisoner. The remaining one started talking to Aaron about something Ruby couldn't hear. After a few seconds Aaron nodded, and the officer moved to follow his team. The older Rider slowly approached the younger. "We're free to go," he said. "Cerise and Nalia are waiting for us where they dropped us off."

Ruby blinked a few times. "We can't leave yet, those Faunus need our help!"

Aaron scoffed. "The police have requested that we leave the healing to the medical teams outside. Apparently your work on Violet 'tampered with the evidence.' When did someone's word stop meaning anything here?"

Ruby sighed. "It stopped when chivalry started to die." She glanced over at a pool of dried blood. "Let's get out of here," she said as she started walking toward the door Aaron busted down.

"Ruby," Aaron said forcefully, "are you going to be okay?"

Without so much as a backwards glance, Ruby said almost under her breath, "Ask me again in a week." She continued to the roof without slowing down. The two dragons flew just over the roof with news vehicles above them by a few dozen feet. Ruby jumped up onto Cerise' saddle and strapped in. A few seconds later Aaron did the same.

Cerise looked back at her Rider, concern flowing off her like a river. _**Are**__ you going to be okay? _she asked.

Ruby sighed and closed her eyes. _I really don't know._ Cerise reluctantly faced forward again and started her flight back to Beacon.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron looked over his shoulder at Ruby. On the outside, she was holding up fine. How she was holding up on the inside though was anyone's guess. She was so happy go lucky before going into that warehouse. That could very well change after everything she saw during the day. _Hopefully she handles this better than I did,_ Aaron thought to Nalia.

The green dragon hummed sadly. _Honestly, that's not hard._ Aaron could tell she wanted to say something else, but she held back.

By that point, the four had flown into Beacon airspace. Nalia angled for the Dragonhouse with Cerise right on her tail. There was a small crowd outside the building, giving just enough space for the dragons to land. As they did, people started clapping and cheering. As Aaron dismounted, he noticed most of the people in the crowd were Faunus. The news must have run their story already.

Ruby wasn't taking the attention well. She hung her head and stood on the side of Cerise where the least amount of people would see her. Cerise nudged her Rider with her snout. That got a small smile out of Ruby and she put a hand on her dragon's snout. Still, she put her hood up before walking to the Dragonhouse. Aaron didn't know if she was acting like that because she didn't like attention, or she just wanted to be alone.

The main door to the Dragonhouse opened and the dragons and Riders walked in. The rest of team RWBY was already there while team Gray was absent. Yang looked up at her sister and her smile lit up the room. "There's my hero sister!" she yelled. The blonde jumped up and charged her sister. Yang brought Ruby into one of her crushing hugs. "I'm so proud of you. You got your first bad guy and you helped rescue so many people."

For the first time that Aaron knew of, Ruby pushed back on her sister. "Yang, please, not now."

Yang released her sister, her smile gone. "Ruby, what's wrong? I thought you'd be ecstatic."

Ruby looked down at the floor. "There was one I couldn't help."

Yang blinked several times, then scratched the back of her neck. "Oh, they haven't said that part on the news yet."

"They're getting into that now," Weiss called from her place by where the two eggs hid. She and Blake were watching the news on one of their Scrolls. Both wore unreadable expressions. "They didn't want to confirm it until the girl's parents were contacted."

Ruby sighed. "I was too late. I was too late to save that girl." She bunched her fists and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, they shown with a new determination. "Never again."

Of all the things Aaron expected, that was one of the farthest down on the list. He honestly expected Ruby to just break down. Aaron was proud of the young Rider. She was growing fast. Whether he would ever admit it to anyone but Nalia, Ruby actually surpassed him in this matter.

Blake stood up from her spot and walked over to Ruby. She surprised everyone in the room by hugging her teammate. "Thank you for putting yourself out there," she said.

Ruby hesitantly returned the hug. "You didn't know anybody in there, did you?"

The Faunus of the team shook her head and pulled away. "No. It's just that that I can't stand people treating Faunus that way. It's despicable." Weiss, still sitting by the eggs, turned away slightly. Aaron knew about her father's company and its reputation. He also knew that Weiss hated the labor policies of the company.

"Well, I'll do what I can," Ruby said rather cheerfully. "I just hope I never have to raid a slave house again."

"I think that makes all of us, Ruby," Aaron said. He turned to look at Yang. "So, anything new with the eggs?"

Yang sighed. "Not so much as a peep." She looked longingly at the spot where the eggs were hidden. "How much more time do we have?"

"Another week and it will be past the normal time frame." Aaron looked at the unbonded girls in turn. Blake and Weiss looked disappointed, while Yang was downright dejected. "It is possible for an egg to hatch past the two weeks, but it is extremely unlikely as time goes on."

After a few seconds Yang switched back to her normal personality. "Well, where were we in Galaxy Trek?"

"New Generation, season two, episode three," Weiss said confidently.

"No stardate this time?" Ruby teased, but she lacked her usual enthusiasm.

"I don't know them all!" Weiss said exasperated. "Not yet."

As Weiss connected her Scroll the projector Yang set up a few days ago, Aaron took another look at Ruby. He thought over how quickly she turned around from bordering depression to determination. The question was, did she really feel that way, or was it a mask?

* * *

**And yet again, I can't find much to really change. I could have put my OCs in the last scene, but it didn't feel right.**


	13. Initiation

Sunday, August 30

POV: Aaron

Aaron walked into the Beacon's cafeteria the day of his initiation into the school. He had no idea what the initiation entailed, but he was confident he would be able to pass. A Rider's training on Vroengard covered essentially everything, from reading and writing to advanced medical training, the latter of which Aaron was being specialized in when he and Nalia left all those years ago, not that they made it very far.

"There's the leader of team ANCR," Aaron heard from behind him. He turned around and saw Weiss, Blake, and Yang walking in behind him.

The Rider rolled his eyes at the mention of the team name the media gave the four who saved the eight Faunus the week before. "Yang, you know how I feel about that name, and I'm not a leader."

Yang just shrugged and smiled. "Whatever you say, but try convincing the rest of Vale that."

"Where is your sister anyway?"

"Ruby forgot something in our room" Weiss sighed. "She'll be around in a few minutes."

"Well in that case," Aaron said as the group picked a table, "there's something serious I'd like to talk to you about, without Ruby knowing."

The three girls stared at Aaron with strange looks. "Is this a Dragon Rider thing?" Blake asked.

Aaron sighed. "Kind of, but this is more out of personal concern." The others' faces grew even more confused. "The two nights Ruby spent in your room, was she having nightmares?"

Realization dawned on their faces. "I take it they've been happening in the Dragonhouse too?" Yang asked.

"From what Nalia says, once per night. She said Ruby wakes up in a cold sweat and has a mental breakdown. Cerise does what she can, but it only lasts the night at most."

Weiss nodded. "It's the same on all accounts in our room, except it was two a night." She shook her head. "Seeing Ruby overly happy is annoying, but seeing her depressed is scary."

Yang nodded. "She's always happy around Cerise."

"She ever tell any of you what she saw?" Aaron asked.

Weiss and Blake shook their heads while Yang bit her lip. Aaron turned to the blonde of the group. "She asked you not to tell anyone, didn't she?"

Yang shook her head. "She told me in confidence I'm not going say anything."

"I get that," Aaron threw up his hands in defense. "But I've seen this before_. _It could be worse than you think." Of course, what he'd seen is what Nalia saw in him.

Yang dipped her head. She looked to Weiss and Blake, then to Aaron. She sat quiet for several seconds, then sighed. "She said it's always the same," she whispered. "Always all nine, always all dead…always one of them asking 'Why?'"

Aaron nodded and placed a hand over his mouth. He knew the feeling all too well. "She's blaming herself for the one. The others, I'd have to guess that she's worried about what would have happened if she didn't show up."

"Why wouldn't she tell us this?" Weiss looked at Yang, then Aaron.

Blake was the one who answered. "She doesn't want to burden us with her problems, and she's worried our view of her will change."

"And no offense guys, really," Yang started, "but I'm sure she's more comfortable with the sister she's known her entire life over her teammates she's known for a few months and a tutor for a few weeks."

"Everyone is susceptible to this type of regret, Riders included." Aaron paused. "I'd say especially people like Ruby. They're so worried about others, they neglect themselves. I've noticed that in Ruby's fighting style too."

Yang sighed. "That's my Ruby. I'm just worried that it will come back to bite her."

"She has us," Weiss said. "We won't let that happen."

Aaron nodded, then saw Ruby come through the door holding an oversized book. "This conversation never happened." He put on the best smile he could given the previous conversation. "So one time in training, a few friends and I decided to play a prank on one of our other friends." The girls looked confused at the change of subject. Yang looked past Aaron and apparently saw Ruby. She immediately leaned in close, a small smirk on her face. Aaron continued his unfortunately true story and elicited laughs from all the girls. "And that is why you never tickle a sleeping dragon."

Ruby finally made it to the table and nearly dropped the huge book on the table, causing everything already on the table to jump. She cleared her throat and started speaking. "Friends, sisters, dragons, Weiss."

"Hey!" Weiss said indignantly.

Ruby continued on like her partner never said anything. "Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream."

Yang turned to look at her other teammates. "This ought to be good."

"A dream that the seven of us would come together as a team, and friends, and have the most fun anyone has ever had, ever!"

"This is after my initiation, right?" Aaron asked. Ruby quickly nodded.

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked.

Ruby leaned forward slightly and threw up two fingers on each hand. "I am not a crook."

_She's borrowing it,_ Cerise said. Aaron looked outside and saw both dragons settling down in the courtyard outside. _She'll give it back after today._

"There's marker all over the cover! Something tells me the order of everything inside is all messed up to, if it's still there! It's completely unusable!"

"Something is only unusable once the user gives up hope," Aaron chipped in, then shrugged, "or if it's incinerated."

Weiss stared mouth agape at Aaron, while Yang laughed. "Are you sure you're fifteen? You've always sounded much older."

"Well, when you have the life I've had, you learn to grow up quick." Aaron placed both hands on the back of his head and broke out a large smile. "I do officially become a man in two weeks though."

Team RWBY stared at Aaron with strange looks. "What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked.

"I turn sixteen in two weeks, why?"

Ruby failed to hold back a short laugh. "You do know you need to be eighteen to be considered an adult here, right?"

Aaron's smile fell apart. His hopes shattering could almost be heard outside his head. "You're kidding me, right?"

The younger Rider didn't even try to hold back her laughter. "Nope. You've got to wait two more years. Look on the bright side, you still get there before me."

Aaron sighed. "Any other things I have to wait more years for?"

"The legal drinking age is twenty-one," Yang said almost deadpan.

"Come on!" Aaron slammed a fist down on the table. "Well this day has gotten off to a great start."

"Think about it like this," Ruby chirped, "you can still start off the semester with a bang with us."

"I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!" Yang quipped. "Ehh. Guys, am I right?" An apple flew beside Aaron's head and hit Yang in the face. Aaron turned around and saw team JNPR sitting at the table behind them. He didn't even see them come in.

"Look guys," Ruby started again, "it's been an amazing two weeks, heck four weeks, but we haven't really had that much time to do anything together. Which is why I've taken the liberty of figuring out things that we can do after Aaron's initiation."

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store," Weiss said. At the same time, Yang grabbed an apple of her own and threw it in team JNPR's general direction

"I don't know," Blake said slowly. "I think I might sit this one out."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. Blake wasn't really the social type, but she still went along with whatever her team did. Something was up. "Just be at the Dragonhouse at the normal time."

"Sit out or not," Weiss began, "I think however we spend this last day, we do it as a team." She stood up. "I for one think that-"

A pie flew out of nowhere and narrowly missed the heiress, but everyone heard it hit something. Just as suddenly, Aaron began to feel an intense heat coming from in front of him. He turned to see Sakura looking completely and utterly pissed off, with bits of pie on her face. Aaron covered his mouth to hide his laughter. He turned around to see Pyrrha in a similar pose and Nora pointing a finger at Ren. Aaron didn't know what exactly happened next, but food started flying everywhere. The table he sat at was flipped onto its side by Yang.

"Okay, so, I'm going to go," Aaron started to walk toward the door.

"Come on, join us!" Ruby called. Aaron turned back to Ruby and saw a fire in her eyes. He glanced over the rest of the cafeteria and saw team Gray building proper fortifications out of the tables while under 'fire' from a few retreating students.

"From what I understand, it's teams of eight here," Aaron said. "I would swing the balance too much in your favor." Some motion in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He turned to look at it and barely caught the watermelon flying at his chest. Aaron shrugged and continued to the door with his lunch.

"Hey, aren't you with them?" a monkey Faunus asked Aaron as he walked out the door. Aaron realized it was the same guy that he occasionally saw with Blake, and the first Faunus he ever encountered four weeks ago. He never caught his name though.

"I'll leave this to the rest of them. I have an initiation to prepare for." Aaron walked to Nalia's side, who was looking through the cafeteria windows at the chaos going on inside.

_The people here are strange,_ Nalia commented. _I can't imagine any humans in Alagaësia fighting like this, unless they were drunk._

_I'm guessing this is somewhat normal,_ Aaron said as he pulled a hunting knife out of a saddlebag. He began carving up the watermelon. _Then again, I don't have any idea of what normal is here._

_We'll figure it out._ Aaron finished cutting his section off the watermelon, then tossed Nalia her much larger portion.

Aaron climbed up into the saddle with watermelon in hand. _Let's get some flight time in before my initiation. Clear my mind._ Nalia nodded, then gently took flight. Cerise stayed rooted on the ground watching the food fight.

Gentle flight always helped clear Aaron's mind. He ate his lunch and looked around the city of Vale. He still couldn't grasp that humans built all of it. Dwarves couldn't even build structures that tall or clean unless carved out of a mountain. Aaron would have been fine looking over the city for hours. A light breeze blew past. The temperature was perfect for the height.

Out of nowhere, Yang flew up in front of Nalia's head, startling both dragon and Rider. Yang smiled and waved. "Come here often?" she yelled, then she plummeted to the ground below. Aaron looked down and saw a hole in the roof of the cafeteria.

_Should we help her?_ Nalia asked, confusion mixed with concern.

_I think if she was worried, she would have asked for help._ Aaron shook his head to clear his mind. _When did we need to be at that cliff face?_

_One o'clock,_ _which I believe,_ Nalia looked at the sun,_ is soon._

_Well, let's get there. Early is better than late._ Nalia turned and flew toward the cliff where Aaron's initiation would begin. Team RWBY was very tight lipped about what exactly would go on. The only thing they said was that he'd have to fight some Grimm, and that melee combat was more effective against them than ranged attacks.

During the flight, one of Beacon's Bullheads flew by. Nalia watched it go then mentally growled. _I will be faster than those things one day._ The green dragon prided herself on being one of the fastest young dragons on Vroengard. She could even out speed dragons several years older than her. After their exile, she joked that she was the fastest dragon alive to lift her spirits. Still, she believed it, and she wanted to remain the queen of the skies. She didn't take humans making machines faster than her very well.

Nalia landed by the Bullhead and Aaron jumped out of the saddle. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch were already standing by several metal platforms built into the ground. Surprisingly though, no one else stood on top of the cliff. Aaron walked up to Beacon's headmaster. "Where is everyone else?"

"You are the only truly new student to Beacon this semester," Ozpin said. "All others are transfers from other schools and have already passed their own initiations."

Aaron nodded, though a little confused. He was the only one to get into Beacon? Why was he getting all that special treatment? Aaron had done nothing to earn anything Ozpin gave him. What was Ozpin planning? What did he know?

"Please stand on the platform," Goodwitch said. Aaron complied, but he was a little confused. It must have been a ceremonial thing.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "I'm sure you have trained for years before arriving here, but Remnant is a different place. Now your abilities will be tested and compared to our standards. This initiation is for only you, Aaron. Your dragon must not follow you in.

"As I'm sure you know by now, students are assigned to teams of four. However, since you are the only new student, your choices in the forest below will determine if you are placed with another first year team or if you will continue alone.

"After you've landed, proceed north into the forest. You will meet opposition on your way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." Aaron cocked his head. What kind of test was this? Not even a Rider's training could be that lethal.

Nalia shared his sentiment. _If you do come close to the point of death, I will take care of whatever is killing you._ She puffed a small amount of smoke out of her nostrils. _Then I might just have to kill you myself._

_I love you too, _Aaron thought back.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Choose one and return to the cliff. We will regard that item as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Do you have any questions?"

Aaron cracked his knuckles, then adjusted the hat on his head. "When do I start?"

Ozpin blinked. "Now."

A strange whirring sound started underneath Aaron and the platform vibrated slightly. He looked down to see what was going on. Before he knew what was happening, he was flung into the air, spinning head over heels. A few choice words shot through his mind as he tried to level out. As he did, he saw the ground rushing up to meet him. "Letta," he yelled, and he froze in place about ten feet above the forest canopy. He ended the flow of magic and dropped into the trees.

_Nice recovery,_ Nalia called, chuckling with her mind.

_Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,_ Aaron shot back. He drew Redemption and removed his shield from his back. The Rider slowly proceeded through the forest. He hadn't spent much time in the trees since his first two weeks on Remnant. Aaron called back memories of flying over the forest with Nalia to try and narrow down the places the abandoned temple could be. There were several abandoned structures in the forest, and any one of them could be it.

Several minutes passed with no signs of a man-made structure or Grimm. Aaron expanded his mind out into the forest. He didn't feel the rush the elves felt when in contact with nature, but it was still an amazing feeling. Several Grimm minds were in range, but instead of recoiling from their evil thoughts, Aaron noted their approximate locations and avoided large clusters of them.

One Beowolf, though, caught his scent. It notified its pack and about twelve Grimm started running at Aaron. The Rider turned to face the incoming threat. He cleared his mind and got into a defensive stance. The monsters burst into the clearing and surrounded Aaron. They slowly circled their prey waiting for an opening. Even though his opponents snarled and drooled at the Rider, he kept calm and never lost focus.

After a few seconds of circling, one of the smaller ones attacked Aaron from behind. Aaron spun around and cut off the creature's head almost like it was an afterthought. The attacks didn't stop there. The Beowolves charged one after the other, never giving Aaron a free moment. Their plan backfired though. None of them attacked at the same time. Even though the Grimm attacked from different sides each time, Aaron sliced off heads and other limbs left and right. He was too fast for the Grimm. In less than fifteen seconds, all of the Beowolves lay decaying at Aaron's feet.

"Too easy," Aaron said out loud.

_Careful what you wish for,_ Nalia warned.

_You worry too much._ Aaron continued moving north and avoiding Grimm. A few normal animals roamed the forest, but none approached Aaron. The Rider probed the minds of a few of the creatures to see if they might have some idea of where the temple was. Not surprisingly, none of them knew anything.

About a mile ahead of where he was, Aaron felt the mind of an injured deer. He slowly made his way over to it. If Ozpin wanted a test of his abilities, he'd get a show of skill _and_ character. Most people would just ignore the poor animal, or put it out of its misery. Aaron had other plans.

Aaron found the deer lying on its side in a clearing. Its front right hoof was bent at an unnatural angle. The Rider knelt down next to the animal, who tried to move away from the human on using its good legs. Seeing the deer's fear, Aaron soothed the poor creature using his mind.

He turned to look at the injured hoof. It didn't look to bad, just a broken bone and possibly some torn ligaments. First Aaron gently moved the hoof back into its natural position, nearly getting kicked by the deer's other legs. When the deer calmed down, Aaron fixed the broken bone. He cast another spell to figure out what else was torn internally, and healed the ligaments near the ankle.

Hesitantly, the deer stood up and tested its weight on its previously injured foot. Feeling that it was fully healed, the deer looked at Aaron with its big black eyes. Aaron stuck out a hand and stroked the side of the deer's face. It took the light petting for a second, then ran back off into the forest.

_Nalia, don't eat that one,_ Aaron told his dragon.

_Was that really necessary? _Nalia asked.

_Not really, but it took my mind off of killing things for a few minutes. _As Aaron stood up, he felt something…different inside him. It wasn't emotion, he didn't feel like he was about to be attacked, and it wasn't a normal bodily function. He tried to ignore it, but after a few more minutes of walking, the feeling refused to be ignored.

Aaron found a relatively defensible location in the trees and sat down to even better focus his thoughts. He cast several spells to figure out what it was, but none of them said anything was wrong.

Confused, Aaron cast his mind at the problem. He gasped as he realized what it was. A natural power he didn't even know he had. _Is this my Aura? _he thought._ Why didn't I find this sooner?_ He grabbed onto it with his mind and 'pulled.' The massive energy surge caught the Rider by surprise. His entire body tingled, and he noticed a slight green glow around his body. He suddenly felt stronger, faster, and a good chunk of his earlier fatigue disappeared. Aaron couldn't help but laugh.

_Aaron! What's going on?_ Nalia called, her mental voice dripping with concern.

_Nothing's wrong,_ Aaron responded. _I believe I've just unlocked my Aura. Sorry, but it was a much more pleasant experience doing that over my first time touching you._

Nalia launched a mental attack at her Rider, only succeeding in causing pain because she was already in Aaron's head. _Well then, if you don't appreciate me, maybe I'll just take on another Rider. I think Pyrrha Nikos would be a suitable replacement._

Aaron couldn't help laughing. _You win. Bonding to you was way more meaningful than unlocking my Aura ever will be._ Smiling, Aaron stood up and proceeded north once again. Oddly enough, Aaron felt something...different in the forest around him. Every animal had something else to it. A couple of Beowolves crossed his path, which the Rider quickly dispatched with ease. They, however, didn't have the extra feeling. Aaron thought it over for several minutes before having an epiphany. He never felt it before having his Aura unlocked. None of the Grimm had it while all the animals did. The Rider didn't know how, or if the knowledge would be useful in the future, but it was still handy to know.

Eventually he came upon a clearing with a large structure in the center. Inside, Aaron saw several black and yellow objects sitting on pedestals in a semi-circle. He walked inside the circle and looked at all the objects. On closer inspection, he saw they were chess pieces. Weiss brought in the game one day while waiting to see if an egg would hatch.

Aaron figured they were the relics that Ozpin was talking about. He looked them over again to see if there was anything different about any of them. Not seeing anything, he grabbed the nearest one, a knight. Aaron thought it fit. Change the horse for a dragon and add some magic and it would be a Rider. He stuffed the piece in one of the pockets in his jacket and turned back to the cliff.

As he turned though, something caught his eye. Aaron focused on one of the chess pieces set apart from the others. The black king. The air around the piece gave off an evil energy. Aaron froze in place. _How could the Traitor follow me here?_ Still, it was just a chess piece. The Rider strode up to it, then sliced it in half with Redemption. _You won't get the best of me, Traitor. _He left the ruin, his earlier good mood shattered.

A roar came from behind Aaron. He froze once more. The last time he heard a roar like that was back when he and Nalia first arrived. He turned around and saw a giant Nevermore flying right toward him. Aaron switched his sword and shield for his V4. He aimed up at the bird creature's wings and fired a burst of Burn Dust rounds. The bullets hit and exploded on contact, but the bird creature never slowed down.

Aaron swore under his breath as he remembered what Ruby said about her team's fight against a Nevermore. Yang fired several shots into its mouth, and it did nothing. Still, Aaron fired more bursts at the creature to get its attention and hopefully draw it in close.

The Nevermore had other plans. It stopped in the air and shot its iron-like feathers down at the Rider from its original height. Aaron raised a hand to the incoming projectiles and yelled "Letta!" All the feathers stopped in their tracks. The Rider focused his attention back on the Grimm. "Gánga." The feathers flew back toward their former owner. The Nevermore screeched and barely dove out of the way. Back on the ground, Aaron felt the full force of the energy drain. That trick would not work twice.

This time, the Nevermore dove at Aaron. The Rider moved to switch from his ranged weapon to his melee set, but his shield and V4 interfered with each other's positioning. Because of this, Aaron didn't have his shield ready when the Grimm attacked. Aaron hastily swung Redemption, and barely managed to nick a claw on one of the creature's feet. For the first time, and most likely not the last, Aaron wished there was a better way of carrying the two weapons.

As the Grimm flew around for another pass, Aaron got an idea. Of all the Grimm minds he touched, none of them noticed his presence, and none of them had their minds shielded. The Nevermore should be no different. Even if he couldn't control minds like other Riders, he could still figure out what his opponent was about to do and lightly influence their decisions. He stretched his mind out to the bird Grimm, and immediately sought out the creature's plans. Aaron smirked. He had the over-sized bird beat.

_Sorry Ruby, I'm stealing your idea, _he thought to himself as the Nevermore flew at Aaron at incredible speed. He had to time the jump right, or else the Grimm could adjust to attack him, or Aaron would be nothing more than a red stain on a black wing. Aaron waited until just the right moment, then leaped, barely making it over the creature's head. He landed facing the wrong direction on the back end of the Nevermore's body. He slowly turned around as the Grimm gained altitude. When it reached a decent height, it dove, rolled, flipped, anything to get the clinging human off its back. Still, Aaron held on. He drew Redemption to cut off the Grimm's head.

Aaron started to influence the Nevermore's mind. He planted the idea that there were undefended humans back on the cliff he was launched from over an hour ago. The creature turned in that direction, its hunger redirected. Aaron also concealed himself from the Grimm's memory, with a little difficulty. The unwilling living transportation flew straight and true to Aaron's target.

Within minutes, Nalia came into view on top of the cliff. She was standing upright, her whole body rigid, ready to spring into action if her Rider was in danger. There was no need though. The Nevermore's confusion at the lack of people didn't last long, as Aaron cast a spell to put the creature to sleep. The bird fell from the sky like a rock. Aaron jumped off just before the Grimm collided face first with the cliff. The creature's head broke the ground and came up beside Aaron. The Rider swung his sword down and removed the Grimm's head. The rest of the body fell down the cliff.

_Show off,_ Nalia huffed, with a hint of pride in her voice.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. _I try. _He turned to face the two Beacon professors. Goodwitch looked genuinely shocked while Ozpin merely smiled.

"Well done, Aaron," Beacon's headmaster said. "May I have your relic?"

Aaron walked over to Ozpin and handed the knight over. "I went through a lot of trouble to get that, it better be worth it," Aaron joked.

Ozpin nodded. "It will be, I assure you. Please report to the amphitheater in one hour to receive your team assignment." With that, he turned away and walked to his transport with Goodwitch in tow.

Nalia walked up beside Aaron. _Well done out there, _she hummed. _You really made an impression on the purple one._

Aaron smiled. "Well, apparently it's not every day one person kills a Nevermore. They are tough."

_You have some new skills to hone as well. This new energy within you is impressive. I wonder how you would fair against elven sword masters now._

"Don't get too confident. Still, I don't think I'll lose in under a minute anymore." Aaron climbed into Nalia's saddle and strapped his legs in. "Well, let's get back to Beacon. I should probably freshen up a bit before I'm assigned to a team."

* * *

**FYI, the food fight was between team Gray and teams RWBY and JNPR, and Ruby almost won, but because Zach nearly broke his bare hand by punching into the floor to hold himself in place, he was able to avoid the fate that the rest of his group faced and then hit Ruby with a flying tray to the back of her head.**


	14. Gold

Sunday, August 30

POV: Aaron

Aaron looked around the amphitheater. He was surprised that it was mostly full. Only the first-year teams were required to be present, but Aaron saw many older students as well. _Why are they all here for me?_ he asked himself.

Nalia answered anyway. _Because you are strong and different. You took down a Nevermore all by yourself. Not many students can claim the same. When you healed that deer though, people knew you had a different mindset from the rest of them. Most people here would have looked over it._ _Word must have spread from the other first year teams._ Aaron felt a wave of superiority wash off his dragon. _Also, you have me. The first dragon on Remnant. They want to know where I'll end up._

_You know, you're not wrong._ Aaron's eyes settled on the first-year team leaders. They all stood with their hands behind their backs facing the stage. From what Aaron could see of Ruby's face, she was trying and mostly failing to hold back a smile. The older Rider took it as a good sign.

Finally, Professor Ozpin stepped to the center of the stage and faced Aaron. "Aaron Benson, please step forward." The Rider complied, stepping up onto the stage and stopping a few feet in front of the headmaster. He clasped his own arms behind his back.

"You have placed us in an awkward situation here," Ozpin continued. "You are the only new student for this semester, and you have never attended a combat school on Remnant. Yet here you are, passing your initiation with flying colors, and accomplishing what no other first year has been able to do on their own.

"As for team placement, you chose the white knight, the same as team RWBY." Aaron blinked and fought to hold back a smile of his own. Ozpin turned to the team leaders. "Ruby Rose, please step forward." Ruby stepped out of the line of team leaders and onto the stage. She stopped beside Aaron and gave him a sideways smile. "Ruby Rose, will you accept Aaron as a member of team RWBY?"

Ruby looked slightly offstage. Aaron followed her gaze and saw the rest of the team. Yang was giving two thumbs up while Blake and Weiss just smiled and nodded. The young leader smiled herself and turned back to Ozpin. "On behalf of my team, I accept." That elicited clapping and cheering from the crowd, most of it coming from teams RWBY and JNPR, Yang and Nora in particular.

Ozpin smiled and nodded. "Congratulations, Aaron and team RWBY. I hope this arrangement will be fruitful for all of you." Ozpin turned and left the stage through back door. Aaron and Ruby returned to the amphitheater floor and were mobbed by the rest of their team.

"Welcome to the team, Aaron!" Yang said as she slapped his back. It nearly knocked the wind out of Aaron.

"The extra set of hands will be appreciated," Blake chipped in.

"Just try not to bring us down too much," Weiss joked.

Aaron scoffed. "Bring you down? Nalia and I will help bring team RWBY to new heights." There was silence for a few seconds. _Well that fell flat,_ he commented to Nalia.

"You might want to leave the jokes to me," Yang said. "That was sad." The newly expanded team started walking out of the amphitheater with people on all sides saying variations of congratulations.

Near the door, team JNPR and team Gray caught up with team RWBY. "Hey guys, congratulations!" Jaune said. "So, you're a team of five now. I think that may be a first."

Nora quickly stuck out a finger and slowly moved it past each member of the other team. "Don't think this automatically makes you better than us," she scolded.

Ruby chuckled. "If you're counting dragons, we're actually a team of seven now."

"Apparently, in order to join our team," Yang started, "you need to at least have a kill assist on a Nevermore." She turned to Ruby with a smirk on her face. "Sorry, but Cerise isn't a full member." Ruby elbowed her sister in the gut.

Pyrrha turned to Aaron. "You took down a Nevermore singlehandedly. Not many students can do that, and none of them are first years. That is an impressive feat."

"If I went all out and just unleashed everything I have, I could easily take down like five dozen giant Nevermores." Zach said.

"Of course you can. You've got bullshit levels of power, Dickwad." David said, staring at his brother.

"Shut up, Asshole. That is an order." Zach said.

"Nah."

"Ok, you get to clean the _Olympus_ then."

"Fuck!"

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Well, dragons aren't the only large flying creature where I'm from, and they aren't as nice or intelligent as dragons. We're trained to take them out." He purposefully left out being able to read the creature's mind. The longer he could hold that advantage, the better. Even though he trusted JNPR, there were other ears around that could be hostile.

The older Rider turned to Ruby. "So what now, boss?

Ruby held up a finger. "First, it's still just Ruby. No titles needed. Second, we need to celebrate that you've been added to the team!"

"What did you have in mind?" Yang asked.

"Since it's already almost time for-" Ruby stopped in mid-sentence, as if to recollect her thoughts. "-for our normal afternoon activities, why don't we order in some pizza and watch one of those Spruce Willis movies we haven't gotten to on Scrollflix."

Weiss crossed her arms. "So, a regular day but with pizza?"

"There's not much else we can do while waiting," Blake chipped in.

The heiress sighed. "I suppose."

"Great!" Ruby whipped out her scroll. "I'll place the order. My treat." She looked over to Jaune and his team. "You guys want in?" Aaron looked at the younger Rider with surprise. He would have asked them along anyway, but Ruby should have asked if there would a problem with outsiders seeing the eggs.

"It's the last day before classes start again," JNPR's leader said. "Why not?"

Yang cocked her head. "I might be missing something here, but when did you get the money to pay for a meal for all of us? Dad's already on us for not talking to him about getting all that food for Cerise her first week."

Ruby tried to hide her head between her shoulders. "I've recently come into twenty-five-thousand Lien."

The whole group stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Ruby with varying degrees of shock on their faces. "Ruby, it's not okay to rob banks!" Nora said. Ren brought a hand up to his face, as did team Gray.

"I'm not forgetting about a loan, am I?" Weiss asked.

Ruby laughed. "No, it's half reward money for finding the all the Faunus last week. Aaron should have gotten the other half."

Aaron's mouth dropped slightly. "I haven't heard anything about this."

"I'm sure it's either gone into your bank account or student account."

Aaron opened the account app on his scroll. Sure enough, slightly under twenty-five-thousand Lien was his to use. "Well, that covers my weapons, and then some." He rubbed the back of his neck in apprehension. "I'm not sure I can accept this."

"Why not?" Yang asked. "You're now a Huntsman in training, and that's how the professionals are paid." Aaron looked at Yang like she had two heads. "What? Don't tell me Dragon Riders don't get paid for their actions."

"Typically we don't." Everyone in the group stood surprised again. "We grow most of our own food on our island, we don't have use for a lot of possessions, and we build everything ourselves. Occasionally people will offer us food and coin for the things we do, but at the end of the day, we just give it all back to those who need it."

"So, you're like a super-non-profit?" Jaune asked.

"Essentially, yes."

For once, Weiss looked at Aaron with approval. "That's a very well-run organization you're a part of," she said. "Not needing any outside support is impressive."

Aaron shrugged. "It worked back home, but I have a bad feeling it won't work out here."

"Putting your own lives on the line while expecting nothing in return," Ren commented. "If only more people here shared that belief." The rest of the group nodded their agreement.

"Well, let's not keep the dragons waiting, let's move!" Ruby started walking toward the Dragonhouse again. While Aaron turned to walk he caught a brief look in Yang's eyes. They were filled with sadness and longing. It was the last day in the two week stretch where eggs normally hatch. It seemed Ruby's mental state wasn't the only one he needed to watch if none of the eggs hatched that day.

Yang shook her head and her dejected look disappeared. "So Aaron, I take it you'll be moving in with us?"

Aaron looked at the blonde with a confused look. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"All teams share a room here. I admit, it will be a little crowded with a fifth person, but we could make it work." Weiss shot her teammate a look.

The Rider looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going to have to talk to Ozpin about that."

"Why? You don't like us?

"Back home, a guy sleeping in a room with four girls who he isn't related to isn't…how is it said here…socially acceptable, especially in that tight of a space."

Something clicked in Yang's head and she faced straight forward again, turning slightly red in the cheeks. "Well, that got awkward." Team Gray burst out laughing. Even Ponda was laughing, even though no sound came out.

Ruby turned her head back. "We've slept in the Dragonhouse at the same time. What's the difference?"

"We were on opposite sides under our own dragons' wing, not literally on top of each other. There is a huge difference." Ruby just shrugged and looked forward again.

_I thought you wanted to be a part of the team, _Nalia said to Aaron, a hint of amusement in her mental voice. _Why are you so hesitant to join? This place obviously doesn't have the same views on this as Alagaësia. _

_It's hard to ignore that part of me,_ Aaron thought back. _Another thing, what would people think of me if we go back?_

Nalia laughed. _Worrying about your image doesn't suit you. However, I will relent. More of you for me that way._

_Don't get too excited. I still have my room in the dorm. I'll see you soon._ Aaron broke the connection and focused back on the conversation his team, JNPR, and Gray were having.

* * *

POV: Ruby

Ruby lead the large group into the Dragonhouse. She still couldn't believe that another person was added to her team. The fact that Aaron was teaching her for two weeks, and most likely for many more to come, could make things a little awkward, but the younger Rider was sure she could figure something out.

For once, Cerise didn't pounce her Rider on sight. Instead, she marched straight up to Yang and snorted hot air in the blonde's face. _Not part of team RWBY? Well, __**I'm **__part of team ANCR, where you have to catch criminals to be a part of it. As such, you aren't a member._

Yang put her hands on her hips and smirked. "You know, that can easily be fixed."

"This isn't a competition," Ruby said and turned to her dragon. There were time when she showed wisdom beyond her age, and others when she acted like a little kid. The young Rider didn't know how fast Cerise would mature out of this stage, but she hoped it wasn't fast.

Jaune looked around the large room with a confused look on his face. "No chairs?" he asked.

Aaron shook his head. "Not yet. Never had the Lien to buy any. Now though," he slowly turned in a circle on the spot, "I think I could make this place a little more livable for those who don't need incredible amounts of space just to move."

Nalia snorted smoke at her Rider, throwing him into a coughing fit. _Are you calling me fat?_ Everyone in the room burst out laughing, except Aaron who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"It seems dragon females aren't so different from human ones," Ren said when the room calmed down.

_Us dragons have a reason,_ Cerise said as Ruby sat down on one of her outstretched legs. _We have a reputation of beauty to uphold, and very few are scared of a dragon whose wings can't support their own weight._

"You don't think that we don't have the same problems?" Yang challenged.

Cerise looked Yang in the eye. _We are the most beautiful creatures alive. Even the elves say that. From what Ruby says, human definition of beauty changes every ten years, if that. Dragons have held our title for millennia._ The dragon raised the corners of her upper lips. _We win. _

Yang blinked a few times, then slowly clapped her hands. "Well played, Cerise."

"So what were we watching again?" Nora asked no one in particular.

"Apocalypse is a good one," Weiss suggested, then turned to Aaron. "It's in space, which you seem to really like now." Aaron smiled and nodded his agreement.

Jaune just sighed. "You have a problem with Galaxy Wars, but not that movie?"

"I have a problem with Galaxy Wars when it's compared to Galaxy Trek. Science fantasy is not the same as science fiction! Trek is based off real world-"

"Squeak!" a sound interrupted Weiss. She froze in place, as did the rest of team RWBY. Team JNPR just looked around the floor, Ruby could only guess they were expecting rodents of some kind. Team Gray, however, snapped their heads to look right at where the eggs where held.

"I wouldn't think you'd have a rat problem in here," Pyrrha confirmed Ruby's suspicions.

"That wasn't a rat," Ruby said softly. She slowly stood up while never taking her eyes off the saddlebag that contained the two eggs. It was currently strapped to Nalia's saddle, and it was moving. The green dragon dropped to the floor and her Rider jumped up to his spot on her back. Aaron opened the saddlebag and carefully pulled out the golden egg. He slid out of the saddle and walked to an open spot on the floor.

"Is…is that a…" Jaune stammered.

"An egg?" Pyrrha finished, just as shocked.

"Yes, it is," Aaron said as he laid the egg on the floor. "One of the three Nalia and I brought with us. The first hatched for Ruby, the third is still resting." He nodded down at the shaking egg on the ground. "This one is ready to choose its Rider."

The older Rider looked at the unbonded girls of team RWBY. "Please stand an equal distance apart from each other and the egg." Weiss, Blake and Yang shot looks at each other, then rushed over to the egg and took up positions around it. Ruby was right behind them.

"We're finally going to see what a baby dragon looks like!" Nora yelled. Ruby turned back to look at her. The orange haired girl was grinning from ear to ear and shaking all over. Ren stood behind her, most likely ready to restrain the human lightning rod if need be. "I bet it's going to be as cute as a puppy!"

Ruby smiled. "You aren't far off." She turned back to look at her teammates. They were all staring at the egg intently, watching to see if any cracks appeared. Mentally, they were all radiating excitement. Yang, though, had something else the others didn't: anxiety. Ruby turned to look at her sister. She didn't notice it before, but there was a slight amount of fear in Yang's eyes. Ruby was worried for her sister. There was a good chance the dragon wasn't hatching for her, and she wanted it the most of all of them.

Cracks started appearing along the surface of the egg, and the squeaking inside intensified. Those waiting to see if the hatching was for them shifted on their feet. Soon enough, some of the cracks met up and a piece fell outward. A full foot stuck out the hole, and the loudest squeak yet erupted from inside. Instead of gaining leverage on the edges like Cerise did, the paw returned to the egg and the shaking started again. Another piece of the egg fell away not an inch away from the first, then another.

The egg rocked violently on the side farthest from the holes, shot forward, and a head and two front legs shot out of the holes. The underside of the hatchling's head fell to the floor. It then looked back at the egg and whimpered. Ruby tried to suppress a laugh as she took out her scroll. She didn't get enough pictures of Cerise when she was that small, she wouldn't make that same mistake again. The scene in front of her was too comical and cute to pass up.

The small dragon crawled back into the egg and started gripping the edges and forcing them outward. After a few more seconds, the hole was big enough for the hatchling to crawl out of. The small golden dragon stood proudly in the center of the triangle and 'roared' at the ceiling. Even in the muted light of the room, and with egg fluid coating its scales and wings, its scales shone brighter than either of the older dragons in the sun. Small spikes ran along its spine. Deep blue eyes took in the room. Its golden wings hung at its sides. All those on two legs smiled at the sight, and Ruby was snapping pictures.

Nalia hummed and her head came into Ruby's vision close to the floor. The golden hatchling looked up at the much larger dragon, curiosity in its eyes. _Welcome to the world, little one,_ Nalia said.

The small dragon squeaked again, then started looking around the room, or more specifically, the triangle around it. Its eyes passed over Weiss, causing the heiress' shoulders to slump slightly. However, the hatchling's eyes stopped on Blake. It cocked its head and sniffed the air. The hatchling took a few hesitant steps toward the cat Faunus. Blake stared down at the small creature slowly moving toward her with her mouth agape.

Yang quickly took in a breath, and her eyes looked took a forlorn look. Still, it was slight enough that Ruby could barely pick out a difference. Still, something didn't sit right with the young Rider. The hatchling was being curious about Blake, most likely because she kind of smelled like a cat. Also, it didn't give off the same feeling that Cerise did when she saw Ruby.

After a few more seconds, the hatchling turned away from Blake and continued its scan of the circle. It kept turning until its eyes met Yang's. The hatchling squeaked up at the blonde and took several rapid steps toward her. Yang looked at her sister with a nervous yet hopeful expression, an unspoken question in her eyes. Ruby just smiled and nodded.

Yang's face lit up and she knelt down to the hatchling's level. She slowly stuck her right hand out to the small dragon. Her shoulders visibly tensed up as the small dragon approached. The hatchling sniffed Yang's hand, then brushed its head against it.

Yang stayed in that position for a few seconds, though Ruby could tell her she was in severe pain. Then she started to visibly shake, and her face contorted. Ruby slammed her scroll back in a pocket as her sister started to fall backward. She hooked her arms under Yang's armpits to keep her from hitting the floor. At that point Yang didn't even try to keep the pain under control, and shook uncontrollably in Ruby's arms. Her arms and legs jerked around. Tears streamed down from her clenched eyes.

After about a minute, Yang fell motionless. Ruby sighed then looked up at her other teammates. All three of them formed a defensive wall between the hatchling and team JNPR. The members of said team all wore horrified expressions, while team Gray was unclear, due to their helmets. Weiss and Blake also looked back with concern, but they saw Ruby go through the same thing before. Aaron kept his eyes on those who had never seen a dragon bond before. Meanwhile, the hatchling just cocked its head and looked at its new Rider curiously.

Another minute later, Yang groaned and rubbed the back of her head. "So that what that feels like," she moaned as she freed herself from her sister's arms. When the hatchling saw its Rider sit up, it squeaked once more and jumped up onto Yang's shoulder.

Aaron walked over to Yang and stuck out a hand. "Congratulations, Dragon Rider," he said with a smile on his face.

Yang took his hand and smiled herself. "Thanks," she said as Aaron hauled her to her feet. The hatchling on her shoulder hardly moved. As Aaron took his hand away, Yang saw the new silver mark on her own. She admired it for a moment and then nodded. "I'm not covering this up anytime soon."

"What did that dragon just do to Yang?" Jaune asked, intense worry creeping into his voice.

"Bonding to a dragon isn't exactly painless," Aaron explained. "It was actually the most painful thing I'd experienced in my life up until that moment. What comes after, though, is more than worth the pain."

The hatchling stood on Yang's shoulder and sniffed at her hair. "Hey, hey, I _know_ what you're thinking. My hair is not food," she said almost jokingly. While her teammates chuckled, Yang blinked a few times as if realizing something. "So that's what _that_ feels like."

Ruby patted Yang on the back. "You'll get used to it," she said, still smiling. The hatchling turned to Ruby and looked at her with a cocked head. The Rider stuck out a hand and scratched under the dragon's chin, dragging out a strange purr. "I think you'll get along just fine." She withdrew her hand and looked at the slime that coated it. "Hey Blake, could you go get us a few paper towels to wipe this little guy or girl down?"

"On it." Blake walked to the far side of the Dragonhouse to the bathroom that hadn't been shut off.

"Where can I get one of these cuties?" Nora shouted suddenly, standing on the tips of her toes. The rest of her team looked at her, shocked at the outburst. Aaron, meanwhile, shifted unsteadily on his feet.

"Nora, it may not be polite to ask such a question," Pyrrha said.

"If asked in the way most common people think, it isn't," Aaron said. Nora fell flat on her feet and closed her mouth. "However, as I said before, we do have another egg with us." He bit his lip. "If you are willing, I can introduce the four of you to it." Everyone looked at the most experienced Rider with surprise, but for different reasons.

"What about me and Blake?" Weiss asked.

Aaron turned to look at the heiress. "The egg still can hatch for either of you, but it's been two weeks. No eggs have hatched after that time in fifty years. It needs to be introduced to more candidates." Weiss then stared at the ground and wrapped her arms around herself.

Ruby turned her focus back to her sister. Yang was scratching the side of the hatchling's head. "So you think of a name yet for him?" she asked. "Or her?"

Yang smiled while looking at her dragon. "I think Halcyon here is a boy." She turned to look at Ruby. "Well Rubes, I guess we're in it for the long haul."

"I'm sure it will be worth it," Ruby said casually, then she realized what Yang really meant. Yang was a Rider now. She was immortal too.

Ruby would never be alone.

The youngest Rider threw her arms around her sister and stayed there for a while. Yang returned the hug. "I told you I won't leave for a long time," she said. "You're not getting rid of me any time soon." Halcyon sniffed down at Ruby and crawled onto her shoulder. He rubbed his face against Ruby's and purred again.

Cerise walked over to the small group and stared lovingly at Halcyon. _Hello brother._

Halcyon squeaked and hopped off Ruby's shoulder. The two Riders, however, looked at Cerise in shock. "'Brother?'" Ruby and Yang asked in unison.

_Yes. We are hatchmates._ Cerise lowered her head to Halcyon's level. The small dragon was jumping all over the place, happy to see his sister.

"When were you planning on telling us?" Ruby asked.

Cerise looked her Rider in the eyes sadly. _Hatchmates are more likely to hatch for those who are related, but it still doesn't happen that often._ She lowered her eyes. _I didn't want to get your hopes up, or destroy Weiss' and Blake's._

Neither Ruby nor Yang said anything for a few seconds. Eventually Yang shrugged and said, "I guess it doesn't matter now. Halcyon hatched and now we're all one big, happy family."

Halcyon circled Cerise and stopped when he saw her injured leg. He sniffed it, then snarled. The small dragon turned around and took up a defensive position in front of his sister's front right leg and searched the room for hostiles. Cerise chuckled. _My hero, _she thought as she bumped her brother with her snout. Halcyon squeaked and playfully batted at Cerise' snout. _You don't need to worry about who did that. Ruby got them, and I've grown since then._ The small dragon turned back to Ruby and squeaked in her direction.

"I think that was a thank you," Yang said. "Having a second voice in your head is confusing."

"You'll sort it out soon enough," Ruby said as she elbowed her sister. A bell rang in the room, and it took a few seconds to realize it was the new door bell. She gasped. "I forgot about the pizza!" She quickly looked over to Aaron to make sure that he didn't have the last egg out in plain sight. He gently placed it in a saddlebag and nodded to Ruby. The youngest Rider walked over to the human sized door and took care of business kindly but quickly. She walked back carrying a large stack of twelve pizza boxes.

"A little excessive, don't you think?" Aaron asked with a smirk on his face.

"I didn't want to leave Nalia and Cerise out. Half of these are just for them."

Yang grabbed the top six boxes off the stack. "That's smart thinking, but I think Cerise could eat all of these and still be hungry," she said. "If she's is anything to go by, I bet Halcyon could eat most of this too."

Ruby laughed. "I don't think you're wrong there." She set her half of the stack on a shelf built onto the wall.

"You have any soda in here?" Jaune asked.

Ruby looked straight ahead and mentally berated herself. "I knew I was forgetting something." She looked at the two stacks and groaned. "No plates either."

Weiss sighed. "Remind me never to hire you as a party planner."

"Just tear off a piece of the box for a plate," Nora chirped. "Me and Ren used to do it that way all the time."

"Nah, I got it." Zach said, as plates, cups, and a couple of two liters of soda appeared in front of him.

"Where did this come from?" Pyrrha asked.

"Our personal M510 Mammoth tank, the _Olympus_. You'd be surprised at what we keep in there."

"What's an M510 Mammoth?" Weiss asked.

"A 27.1-meter-tall by 32.8-meter-wide by 68.3-meter-long tank vis a top speed of 74 kilometers per hour zat veighs 484 tonnes and is armed vis 1 Mark 2457/35cm HRG "Mini-MAC" and 2 M80B Multiple Launch Rocket Systems." Gregor rattled off almost robotically.

"The _Olympus_ is a modified one that has, on top of everything on a standard Mammoth, 20 retractable Z-510 focus turrets with an additional 10 on the bottom, 2 Z-520 splinter turrets, 2 Type-58 Plasma cannons, 2 Type-55 Anti-Infantry Stationary Guns, 2 M343A2 chainguns, and 2 M555 Gauss Cannons. On top of its additional armament, it also has flight capabilities and cloaking technology." Sakura added.

"Woah." Was all that Weiss could say.

Halcyon jumped up onto the shelf with a paper towel on his back and started sniffing the boxes. Yang took one of the boxes and looked inside. "This one's Halcyon's," she said, and the golden hatchling chirped in agreement.

"Well, everybody grab a slice so we can get the movie started," Ruby said as grabbed a plate and some pizza, along with a drink. She also grabbed two whole boxes for Cerise then sat down by her side. During the time everything else happened, Weiss set up the movie and a pause screen was being projected on the wall.

_Is that what I think I smell?_ Cerise asked Ruby. The Rider smiled and opened one of the boxes. The dragon hummed her appreciation and quickly grabbed the pizza sized cookie from the box with her mouth.

Ruby laughed at her dragon then looked over at Yang and hers. Halcyon was going to town on a meat lover's pizza and Yang watched with an almost motherly smile on her face. She also rubbed Halcyon's back with a wet paper towel. Ruby smiled as well. She couldn't wait for her sister to fully understand what her dragon means to her, just as long as it doesn't happen the same way it happened for Ruby and Cerise.

* * *

**The _Olympus_ is an olive green Mammoth and was Gray team's home for the durration of their time in Earthland.**


	15. Names

Tuesday, September 1

POV: Aaron

Aaron silently rode the elevator up to Professor Ozpin's office. He was called up on the second day of classes for a meeting with Beacon's headmaster. Why, he could only guess.

The elevator doors opened, and the Rider stepped into the spacious office. Ozpin sat behind his desk reading something over. He looked up and smiled at his guest. "Aaron, welcome. Please take a seat." The headmaster gestured at the only other chair in the room. Aaron sat down as Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "So, how have your first few classes gone?"

Aaron shrugged. "Fairly well, I'd guess," he said. "I found all my classes before their start time, which is surprising because I'm not used to there being set times at all. I've read over the syllabuses—syllabi?—and overall the combined load is comparable to my studies back home."

"Anything strange happen over the past few days?"

"Only that Ruby disappeared a few times yesterday. She said it was leadership training, but I've seen Jaune and Zach walking around during that same time-frame." Aaron locked eyes with Ozpin. "But we're not here to discuss my schooling, are we?"

Ozpin sighed and set his coffee down. "No, we are not. It's come to my attention that Yang Xiao Long has been walking around campus with a golden dragon on her shoulder. May I ask when and why this has happened?"

Aaron frowned. He didn't like where this was heading. "Halcyon hatched for Yang on Sunday. They bonded shortly after. As for why he's on her shoulder, a new bonded pair should spend most if not all of their first few days together. The hatchlings are safer that way and it helps them grow."

Ozpin nodded. "Are there going to be any other small dragons around Beacon anytime soon?"

The Rider's eye's narrowed slightly. If he lied, he could jeopardize his and Nalia's position at the school. Ruby, Yang, and their dragons could also be in trouble by accessory. Ozpin was trapping him. "There is one more egg under my protection, but I don't want word of that getting out." Beacons headmaster sighed in, _What was that, relief?_ Aaron thought. _Why does he care?_

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee before speaking again. "You don't trust me, do you?"

Aaron crossed his arms. "The only two people I know who are as generous as you have been, without asking anything in return, adopted me seven years ago."

Beacon's headmaster didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Believe it or not, you are not the first Alagaësian I've met." Aaron blinked in surprise. "He was a strange old man who went by the name-"

"-Tenga." Aaron finished. "He's the one who allowed me and Nalia to come here, though in an indirect way."

Ozpin nodded. "Tenga was here only a few months before you arrived. He kept going on about how he 'answered the question.'" He paused. "He also spoke about the Fall of the Dragon Riders."

"I'm not surprised. I'm sure the Fall is all anybody can think about, and only think. If they spoke out, they were killed."

"Betrayed by fourteen of your own, and those few managed to kill off hundreds of Riders and dragons. Did nobody see the signs?"

"Plenty did. By the time the Elders figured it out, it was too late to do anything other than mount a defense." Aaron shook his head. "If Galbatorix was right about one thing, it's that we were arrogant and overconfident."

_Aaron, be careful what you say, _Nalia warned. _You may have said too much already._ The Rider barely acknowledged his dragon.

"Tenga also spoke of the atrocities Galbatorix commissioned," Ozpin continued, "even in his first years as king. The burning of villages, forced conscription, incredibly raised taxes, swearing genocide against the Urgals."

Aaron looked down at his lap and clenched his fists. "And no one has the power to stop him."

"On the last day Tenga was here, he told me another Alagaësian could show up here sometime soon. Specifically, he said a young Rider in need of help." The Rider's eyes shot back up to Ozpin, his mouth hanging slightly open. "I initially discounted it as the ravings of an old man, then you and Nalia arrived in the Emerald Forest a few weeks later."

Aaron stayed silent, trying to comprehend what Ozpin told him. He dug into his memory to remember where he found the scroll that had the transportation spell. It was buried in the wall of the cave where he and Nalia hid for their last night in Alagaësia. He only found it by chance when he lost his footing on the slick floor and knocked a rock off the wall. _He…he couldn't have planned all that. We were never followed. Not even the elves knew exactly where we were. How is this possible?_

_I don't know, Aaron, _Nalia responded, a little concerned. _If we ever get back to Alagaësia though, we will have to find Tenga and ask him ourselves._

"That is the reason I have allowed you to stay and study at Beacon," Ozpin said. "Your being here validated everything Tenga had to say. You have even repeated many of the things he said." He paused. "I can't turn a blind eye to those who seek to flee a kingdom that oppresses its people in such a way. No one should have to live in fear."

"Amen to that," Aaron said.

"I know you may not fully trust me, and I know that there may not be a way to gain your trust after my experiment the day you met Ruby, but know I will not cast you, or any of the dragons out of Beacon. You are all much safer here than out of the Kingdoms."

Ozpin paused. "That being said, I have to ask for your help on something, and it's not something do with a clean conscious. "

Aaron looked at the headmaster skeptically. "I'm listening."

"I would like you to keep a closer eye on Ruby."

The Rider learned forward in his chair at the mention of one of his students. "Has she done something wrong? Is she in danger?"

"We have no first-year leadership training classes at the times she 'disappeared.' Ruby and her dragon were in the city twice yesterday, and were flying in that direction when you were in the elevator. While they were there, several drivers fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. All of them had Faunus children in the trunk."

Aaron brought a hand up to his face in thought. "I take it all the children were in similar condition to those in the warehouse?" Ozpin nodded. The Rider thought it over. "She's putting herself in danger by messing with a slave ring. I've been on teams that tracked slavers down back in Alagaësia, and they always tried to hit us back after we put a dent in their profits." He spat out the last word.

The Rider sighed. "Ruby is acting out because of what she saw in that warehouse. She's so focused on helping others, she's not seeing the big picture. She can't take them on by herself."

Ozpin nodded. "While she is now capable of much more than other students, and even many professional huntsmen, she is still young and inexperienced. She could very well get in over her head. I've known many people who have gone after the Nevermores, very few of them have ever come back."

Aaron sighed. "I'll talk to her. Hopefully she'll listen to reason."

"That is all I ask," Ozpin said. "Now, that is all I've had for you. You are dismissed."

Aaron stood up and made his way back to the elevator, thoughts and memories swimming in his head. As the elevator doors closed, he slumped against the back wall. _Here we go again…_

* * *

POV: Ruby

_Come on, Cerise, we're late already!_ Ruby urged.

_I'm not as fast as Nalia, _Cerise huffed. _This is the first time we've been late, I'm sure Aaron and Nalia will let it slide once._

_Hopefully. _Ruby and Cerise were flying back to Beacon from the opposite side of Vale from yet another kidnapping site. Instead of being extremely in their face like Aaron was when he and Ruby rescued Violet, Ruby stayed in the shadows and on the rooftops, focusing on using magic to stop the kidnappers. The plan worked so far, and the Faunus kids were rescued shortly afterward by people on the streets responding to the accident. Ruby always stayed nearby until police or paramedics showed up, just in case something else went wrong.

Cerise angled toward the Dragonhouse and landed soon after. Ruby quickly untied the straps that held her in the saddle. She jumped down from her dragon's back just as the main door opened for Cerise. Inside, Nalia was curled up on the other side of the building with Halcyon napping by her feet. Aaron and Yang stood by their respective dragons. Nalia looked up from the two Riders in front of her and looked at the new arrivals. _Nice of you to join us,_ she called.

"Sorry," Ruby said as she walked over to the other group. "I got held up in leadership training." Nalia snorted, but said nothing more. The main door closed behind Cerise.

Yang turned to her sister and smiled. "Hey Ruby, check out what I can do." She focused her attention on the rock in her hand. "Stenr reisa." The rock slowly floated to a few inches above her hand. Yang's smile broadened. "You aren't the only one who can do that party trick anymore."

"If you do that at a party where anyone but team JNPR or team Gray is there," Aaron said in a no-nonsense tone, "we're going to have to have an unpleasant conversation."

"Relax, I know you don't want magic to become general knowledge. Honestly, it kind of makes sense. You don't want to flaunt a tactical advantage."

"Well that's one way to put it." Aaron turned to Ruby. "Now that you both are here, I can explain some crucial information that I should have explained before." Cerise lay down on the floor and stretched a leg out. Ruby and Yang sat down on it.

"Back on the day the rest of the team was introduced to the eggs, Weiss made a comment about how she didn't think everything needed its own name." Ruby narrowed her eyes in confusion. "The thing is, everything and everyone has its own unique name."

"For example," Aaron stuck out a hand, "Brisingr!" A small flame burst to life in his hand. "Brisingr isn't just the word for fire in the Ancient Language, it _is_ fire. You can control fire anyway you want, and if you have enough experience, you can extinguish fire using only its name." Ruby nodded. She thought she understood, but she didn't quite understand the significance.

"The same can be said for living things. Every animal, every plant, every person has a true name. I'm not talking about names that are used on the streets and you write on homework. No, a true name is exactly _who_ that person is. It contains every aspect of their personality, their hopes, their dreams, their flaws, everything.

"Knowing your own true name can help solidify who you are as person. You can gain confidence in everything you do. Telling another person your true name is an extreme sign of trust. Unfortunately, you are giving that person complete control over yourself." Aaron shuddered. "If that person has evil intentions though, you essentially become their slave." Ruby tensed up at the last word and clenched a fist. Aaron's eyes rested fully on her for a split second, then returned to their previous position.

"My advice, if you ever learn your own true name, keep it to yourself. You are literally putting your life in someone else's hands." He paused. "The most common situation for people to reveal their true names is if they are about to make a marriage proposal. Even though for you two, your partner may not understand a word of it, be careful. He may take advantage of it at some point."

Ruby and Yang sat quiet for several seconds, trying to process what they just heard. "There is some pretty messed up stuff where you're from," Yang said finally. Aaron just nodded.

"So do people still look for their true names, even with all the consequences?" Ruby asked.

"They do," Aaron responded. "Some magicians think the knowledge of who they are will increase their power, and this is true to an extent. Elves don't fear for their safety as much because they typically have the best mental defenses of any race, so many actively search for their true name."

Ruby nodded, then looked back at the floor. _We won't be searching for ours any time soon, _she said to Cerise.

_I'm not sure we'd be able to if we wanted to, _Cerise responded. _I don't think our knowledge of the Ancient Language is sufficient._

"Do any of you have any further questions on the topic?" Aaron asked. No one spoke up. "Good, now Ruby, how much experience do you have in hand-to-hand combat?"

Both girls looked up at Aaron, but had very different reactions. While Yang snickered, Ruby tried to make herself small on Cerise' leg. "Um, none really," she mumbled.

"Oh come on, Ruby," Yang said as she gave her sister a push. "You can't say none, we've fought a few times."

"Yeah, but they were never _fight_ fights. You always won anyway."

"Well, it looks like your skill is about to change." Yang pushed on Ruby's back forcing her to stand. Ruby looked slightly down at her sister and gave her a mock glare. Yang just gave her a thumbs up.

Ruby sighed, removed Crescent Rose from her belt, and tossed the small red box at her sister. "So what do you want me to do?" she asked Aaron.

Aaron gave a full arm shrug. "Right now, I just want you to hit me." Ruby nodded and got into the fighting position she saw Yang fall into several times before. She threw a wide punch at Aaron's right side and connected. He didn't even flinch. Ruby tried again with her other arm but got the same result.

"Come on, Ruby, you can do better than that," Aaron said.

"Ruby, you're flailing your arms," Yang chipped in. "Keep your arms closer to your body. You can get more of your weight behind your swings that way."

The youngest Rider acknowledged both commenters and set back in her fighting stance. Ruby again threw a punch at Aaron's right side, but it was more focused, and the older Rider took half a step back when the fist landed. Encouraged by her small victory, Ruby threw a follow-up punch with her right hand, only for it to be caught by Aaron's left. "You're getting the strength part," he said, "but you need to be faster. You won't have much time after any kind of attack before your opponent will counter attack."

Yang laughed. "Wow, I never thought someone would say that you need to be faster."

Ruby shot another glare at her sister. "I know where you sleep."

The blonde Rider mock gasped. "Oh no, whatever shall I do?"

"Ruby, focus," Aaron said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. Ruby turned back and saw Aaron had set into a fighting position. She tensed up slightly. "What, you thought your opponents would let you used them as a punching bag?" The red Rider put her arms up in front of her body and lowered her center of mass. Aaron's face once again took the completely blank look that he always wore when sparring with weapons. This wouldn't be any different from their previous matches.

Aaron moved first by throwing a quick jab at Ruby's left shoulder. She dodged out of the way of that one but stepped into a second. Ruby cried out for a second as Aaron pulled back a few feet.

Like all the other fights, Ruby knew she would have to get the upper hand quickly, or else Aaron would outlast her and beat her. She'd only won a handful of fights since they started, and only in the past week. Ruby charged Aaron, ducked under one punch and jabbed the more experienced fighter in the gut. She fully passed under his arm then elbowed him in the back. Aaron took a few steps forward, then turned back to face Ruby, a small smirk on his face. "Good, you're learning. There's more you can take from our armed fights and apply it to here though."

Ruby smirked back. "I'll keep that in mind." She charged again, this time aiming high for the chest. Aaron redirected Ruby's first punch, then launched one himself. It connected with Ruby's chest, and she went sprawling toward Yang, Cerise, and the now awake Halcyon. "Ow," she finally said after coming to a rest by her sister's feet.

Yang helped Ruby to her feet. "Take a break sis, let me show you how it's done."

Ruby turned her head back Aaron, and he just shrugged. "Don't break him Yang," Ruby said turning back to her sister. "He just got added to the team, and sidelining him now would be rude."

The blonde Rider laughed. "I'll do my best." Yang walked over to where Ruby started her matches against Aaron.

Ruby, meanwhile, sat down on Cerise' leg. _You did better than I thought you would,_ the red dragon told her Rider.

_You didn't think I'd be able to touch him, did you?_ Ruby asked her bond-mate.

_Not as much as you did, _Cerise admitted. _You aren't exactly the world's best fist fighter._

Ruby playfully shoved her dragon's head away. _I love you too._

The red dragon hummed and her eyes gleamed. _Then get stronger for me._ The moment Cerise and Ruby had was killed when Halcyon chirped at his own rider. Ruby didn't even notice the fight started. Aaron was being forced back step by step by the onslaught Yang threw out. Only a few of the punches landed though, but when they did, they spun Aaron around or forced him to the floor. He sprung back up every time though, and he didn't seem to be tiring.

As time drew on, Aaron avoided or deflected more and more of Yang's strikes, and the latter grew visibly frustrated. Each jab and hook of hers gained more power, but lacked focus. Even Ruby could see that. Aaron apparently saw gaps in his opponent's defenses, as he suddenly launched into a counter offensive which forced Yang to start backpedaling. After another few seconds, Aaron delivered a punch to the gut and a vicious right hook to Yang's cheek. The blonde Rider fell to the ground and didn't get up right away. Halcyon shrieked and rushed to her side.

"You're a natural fist fighter, aren't you?" Aaron panted.

"Yeah," Yang growled as she picked herself off the ground. "How did you do that?"

"When you have enough experience, there isn't much of a difference between fighting with a weapon and fighting unarmed. I will say, if you retained your skill throughout the spar, you would have bested me."

Yang stood silent for a few seconds. Ruby could almost see the steam rising out of her sister's ears, but her eyes stayed lilac. "What do you mean by that?" Yang snapped.

"As you got frustrated, your attacks grew wild. Unfocused. That may work against Grimm, but against people, even someone learning the basics could predict where you were going to strike."

Yang blinked a few times then shot a questioning glance at Ruby, who really was learning the basics of fist fighting. The red Rider shrugged. "I could tell your attacks were getting stronger, but like Aaron said, they got wild toward the end."

The blonde turned back to Aaron. "The problem is, that's what I do. I get angry, I get stronger."

Aaron scoffed. "I've known Riders who thought that, it got them more injured than others, and it was never proven."

"She means it though," Ruby chipped in. "It's her Semblance. The angrier she gets, the stronger she gets. Sometimes she get so hot her hair nearly catches fire."

Aaron looked at Ruby, then back at Yang and back again. "Really?" Ruby nodded and Aaron covered his mouth with a hand. "The more things I learn here…" He shook his head and sighed. "What's next? Can Weiss walk through walls?"

"Weiss has glyphs." Upon seeing Aaron's confused reaction, Ruby continued. "It's hard to explain, but her glyphs can give a speed boost, provide solid platforms, oh, and she's working on one that messes with time."

Aaron ran a hand over his hat like he would his hair. "How is any of this possible?"

_I'm sure they've thought the same thing more than once since we've shown up, _Nalia commented to everyone. Ruby just laughed and nodded.

"Anyway," Aaron said, "would you like to get back at it, Ruby?" The red Rider simply jumped off Cerise' leg and walked to her starting position. Over the next half hour, Aaron and Yang taught the youngest of them how to fight unarmed. Somewhere along the line, Aaron suggested they switch to a more leg-based approach. It turns out, throwing in some kicks came naturally to Ruby. She could keep Aaron at a distance and even got in some good hits. In one of the sparring matches, she activated her Semblance to deliver a blindingly fast and powerful blow. It flung Aaron to the other side of the Dragonhouse. After that, Ruby kept a lid on it, no matter how badly she was losing. Freshly awakened Aura wasn't the strongest thing in the world.

Unfortunately, they all had a biology class to get to which cut the training session short. Their school uniforms were in their rooms on the other side of campus, which cut off even more time. All the dragons stayed in the Dragonhouse, and if the day before was anything to go by, Nalia had a history lesson for Cerise and Halcyon, if the gold hatchling paid attention at all. For some reason, Aaron expected Ruby to be able to pay attention to both what was being said in front of her and what Cerise heard. She understood the reasoning behind it, but it was too much to handle at one time.

Ruby lead the way out of the Dragonhouse and across campus. Shortly after the group left, Aaron walked up next to her. "Ruby, I need to talk to you about something," he said in a low voice.

"What's the problem?" Ruby asked nonchalantly.

Aaron paused before continuing. "Where did you really go those two times yesterday and earlier today?"

Ruby tripped on flat ground, but recovered quickly. "I thought I said I was at leadership training."

Aaron's eyes saddened. "Twice a day? One-on-one training?"

The younger Rider tried to not let her newfound anxiety show. "No, it's group training, and there was a scheduling problem with the professor who teaches it."

The older Rider sighed. "Ruby, I've seen all other first year team leaders during those times. Where were you?"

Ruby looked at the ground, unsure of what to say. _I told you we should have told him, _Cerise scolded from the Dragonhouse.

_Maybe you were right._ Ruby sighed. "Okay, me and Cerise were downtown. The Nevermores have been incredibly active the past two days, and…" she closed her eyes tightly and clenched a fist. "I can't let them get away with it, and they haven't. Got to them before the VABER Alerts were released."

Aaron nodded slowly. "Trust me, I know the feeling. I know you feel obligated to do this yourself, to try and help as many people as you can. Normally, I'd say keep at it, but these aren't ordinary criminals."

Ruby stopped in place looked up at Aaron in shock. "Are you asking me to _stop?_ Isn't this what you've been training me for?" She still tried to keep her voice down so people wouldn't stare. It was a sensitive subject after all.

"Absolutely not. I've saying you're going about this wrong. Those criminals are organized. They have plans, and they don't like having their," Aaron contorted his face in disgust, "_trade goods_ messed with. Me and Nalia tried to take down a slave ring by ourselves back in Alagaësia, and it nearly got us, and many other people killed, including those we were trying to save." He sighed. "No, I don't want you to turn the other way, just don't lie to us about this. Any of us will back you up. Don't go alone unless it's absolutely necessary."

Ruby nodded absentmindedly, then continued walking toward her dorm. It was actually one of the better outcomes she hoped for if someone found out. He was right, though. She couldn't keep pretending all the kidnappings were unrelated. If the Nevermores were as dangerous as Aaron made them out to be, she would need all the help she could get.

_Please tell me we aren't going out alone again,_ Cerise pleaded with Ruby.

_Not unless we have to._


	16. You Mother Fuckers

Wednesday, September 2

POV: Ruby

"We have a few hours until class," Ruby said to Cerise. "You want to go flying for a bit?"

Cerise hummed and nodded._ How long has it been since we flew just to fly?_

Ruby laughed and smiled. "Have we ever besides that first time?"

"Hey, don't talk about flying in front of us," Yang called from where she sat by Halcyon. "We won't be able to get airborne for another month."

"We had to wait that long, so do you," Ruby shot back.

Nalia lifted her head on the other side of the Dragonhouse. _Are you going out for other reasons? _the eldest dragon asked. Yang looked at Ruby with a questioning gaze, evidently hearing Nalia's question. Ruby told the rest of the team the night before about what she was really up to.

"There's nothing going on right now"_,_ Ruby responded as she climbed into Cerise' saddle. "I'm not feeling anything out of the ordinary at all down there. We just want to spend some time together"_._

Nalia blinked and snorted. _Then may the sun shine on your backs. If something does happen, please tell us. _

"We will_."_ Cerise walked toward the automated door as Ruby strapped herself in. "See you all later!" Ruby called as her dragon left the building. She grabbed onto the spike in front of her and waited for the intense G-forces of takeoff. Cerise ran forward a few steps and jumped into the air, snapping her wings open at the same time.

_You have any preferences on where we go? _Cerise asked her Rider.

Ruby smiled. _Anywhere but restricted airspace or deep into the Emerald Forest. I don't want to see if we can take on a Nevermore by ourselves._ She leaned forward in the saddle as Cerise flew, using the dragon's head as a windbreak. Even though she could now afford to get some actual eye protection for flying, Ruby couldn't decide if she wanted just goggles or to get a full helmet. Both had their own advantages. It would most likely come down to whether or not either matched her outfit.

The red dragon turned to look back at her Rider. _Nalia told me about something I should be able to do up here. You willing to give it a shot?_

The young Rider cocked her head and smiled. _Why not?_

Excitement flowed off Cerise. _Just hold onto the spike in front of you and leave the rest to me._ She faced forward again and Ruby tightened her grip on the spike in front of the saddle. Ruby felt her dragon tug at her mind, with such force the young Rider felt as though she was leaving her own body. She panicked for a second, then she felt reassuring thoughts roll off Cerise, and she surrendered herself. Ruby's vision blurred, then jumped forward a few feet.

Though from this new perspective, the colors were different. Reds and greens didn't stick out as much, though blues popped like never before. Ruby's new perspective turned around, and she gasped, or at least tried to. _Cerise, what did you do?_ she thought, somewhere between terrified and awestruck. Ruby was staring back at herself. Her face was blank despite all attempts to change it.

Cerise hummed, though Ruby felt as if she was the one humming. _I've drawn your mind into mine. This way you can see what I see, and feel what I feel._ The perspective changed back front. _Don't worry, I won't let you fall._ Cerise roared, then flew toward open forest. The dragon's pure joy infected Ruby, and all negative thoughts disappeared.

Somewhere in the flight, Ruby couldn't tell where Cerise' body ended and where hers began. They might as well have been the same dragon. They roared in delight as the trees flew past beneath them. The air flowed smoothly past their wings as they climbed. Soon the forest gave way to ocean, but still they climbed.

When they reached about the same height as when they went skydiving, they folded their wings and dropped like a javelin through the air. They spun as they fell, the water taking the appearance of a whirlpool. Both minds screamed with joy at the feeling of the air rushing past them faster than ever before. At a respectable distance, they snapped their wings open and glided to just above the water. They dipped their claws into the cool ocean below, kicking up an impressive rooster tail.

Eventually, they angled back toward dry land, still moving incredibly fast from the nearly two mile dive. They rose above the cliffs and swung around Beacon before heading for a mountain in the Emerald Forest. Their speed slowly trickled off as they rose to the top of the mountain. Adrenaline still pumped through their veins, though at a much slower rate than during the dive.

They landed on top of the mountain and roared at the sky. Soon after that, Ruby felt her mind pulling away from Cerise. She blinked a few times as she adjusted back to the normal color range. Her body shook from the adrenaline rush of the past half-hour. "That was amazing!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "How can you stay on the ground so much?"

Cerise laughed. _I don't get to fly as much as I want to. Then again, I'd spend my whole life in the sky if I could._ The dragon turned to look at her Rider and started laughing again.

"What's so funny?"

_You're soaked, and your hair is a mess._ Cerise simply sent her Rider an image of how she appeared. Ruby looked down and started laughing herself. She was completely drenched in seawater, and she didn't even feel it until she saw it. Seeing her hair sticking out at all angles through her dragon's eyes cracked her up even more. She laughed even harder because she _saw_ herself laughing through Cerise. Both dragon and Rider laughed with each other for a long time before finally settling down.

Cerise lay down on her belly. _I know I just said I'd like to spend my whole life in the air, but that drop hurt my wings more than expected. I need a break._

Ruby unstrapped her legs from the saddle and slid down her dragon's side. She patted her bondmate on the cheek. "I'm fine with that. Don't want to push you too hard." The Rider sat down next to her dragon's head and looked out over the city below them. As great the view from above was, there's still something special about seeing the city from a more level angle.

_Have you ever been outside of Vale?_ Cerise asked after a few minutes of silence.

The young Rider shook her head. "Other than Patch, no. Travel between kingdoms isn't exactly easy. There are Grimm practically everywhere. Lately, most civilian ships have to have a military escort to make it where they're going, even between here and Vacuo." Ruby turned to look Cerise in the eye. "I guess we'll have plenty of time to change that." She scratched behind one of her dragon's ears. Cerise leaned into it and hummed happily.

The two sat on top of the mountain for a long time, not talking about much, just happy to be in each other's company. No Grimm came to disturb the two. A light breeze blew by the mountain. The only reason Ruby didn't fall asleep by her dragon's side was because she had class coming up and she didn't want to miss it.

"I think we should be heading back now, Cerise." Ruby stood up and climbed into the saddle. Cerise stretched her wings before standing up herself. She lightly jumped off the mountaintop as soon as Ruby strapped herself in. The light breeze turned into a steady tailwind as they rose. Ruby looked to the city as they approached from the south. Given the past few days, she couldn't help but stretch her mind out to the city.

Unfortunately, it didn't take her too long to find what she hoped she wouldn't. On the outskirts of the residential district, another little girl was being kidnapped. Cerise immediately turned in that direction and increased her speed. Ruby stretched her mind out to the other dragons and Riders at Beacon. _I've got another one,_ she called. _Western side of the residential district._

Nalia didn't take long to respond. _Be careful, I don't like how active they've been the past few days._

_Probably trying to make up for lost profits,_ Aaron growled. _Do what you can, then get back here._ Yang just sent a wave of encouragement. Ruby mentally nodded then focused back on the source of the panic. Cerise flew high over the city to appear no larger than a bird. For what felt like the thousandth time, Ruby was glad Ozpin was able to get the dragons nearly free roam over the city.

The car was moving north toward the commercial district on a main road. Too many other people lined the sidewalks for her normal plan to work. Ruby scouted the roads ahead, looking for spots where foot traffic cleared up or where traffic was bumper to bumper and a fender bender would be acceptable. Unfortunately, neither of those looked to be options for the near future.

The young Rider decided to test something she'd only done with Yang while practicing. Ruby sent her mind out toward the kidnapper, and searched for his intended route and target. She found what she was looking for, and she didn't like it. While the route eventually made it to less populated roads in the commercial district, the kidnapper's intended target was outside the city, to meet up with more of the Nevermores and transport even more kids to another location. What was worse, the transport was to leave in a half hour.

Cerise flew ahead of the kidnapper toward an ideal ambush location. The area was filled mostly with small businesses, and very few people walked the sidewalks at that time. The red dragon stayed a few hundred feet in the air and Ruby unstrapped her legs from the saddle. Ruby slid off the side of her dragon and dropped to the roof. She lightened her landing with magic as not to disturb those inside. Cerise continued flying in the direction they came from to hopefully throw off the kidnapper.

Ruby waited for several minutes before the kidnapper's car to turn down the road. Luckily, the sidewalks were still relatively clear. The Rider kept her head down as the car approached the store she crouched on. She focused her attention on the driver and said, "Slytha." The driver's head fell onto the horn of his car. The car veered to the left and ran straight into a light post. Ruby winced at the impact. She didn't like damaging city property, but it was better than the alternative.

Several people along the sidewalk immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed to the crashed vehicle. A man reached through the broken driver's side window and checked on the driver. "Hey, this guy's asleep!" Ruby heard the man yell.

There was a second's pause before someone else yelled, "Check the trunk!" A couple of Faunus gathered around the rear of the vehicle. One of them placed one of their dog ears to the trunk.

"There's definitely someone in here," he said. A few people at the front of the car forced the driver's side door open and one of them pressed the hatch release. The trunk clicked open and the Faunus at the back opened it the rest of the way. Both of them took a step back at what they saw. The female of the couple covered her mouth with a hand.

A police cruiser turned down the street, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Those at the car waved at the waved at the car as it approached as if it was just passing through. It came to a stop just behind the crashed vehicle. The officer inside side stepped out and called, "Another Faunus?" Those near the wreck all said their own confirmations, and the officer reached back inside and pulled out a large first aid kit. He grabbed his radio and said something into it, most likely calling for backup.

Ruby sighed and slowly moved away from the edge of the roof. _Cerise,_ she called, _I'm ready for pickup._

_I'll meet you three blocks down,_ the dragon responded. _There's a large enough park there for me to land. _Ruby nodded externally, then started running across rooftops away from the crime scene. Two blocks down, she dropped into an alley, then blended in with the crowd on the street, occasionally looking back at the crash like everyone else.

Ruby entered the small park just as Cerise landed in the center. The people close by yelled in surprise and ran for cover. Ruby, however, ran full steam toward her dragon and leaped from the ground directly into the saddle. Cerise didn't wait for her Rider to strap in and took off immediately.

Once in the air, Cerise turned back to Ruby and said, _I've told Aaron and Nalia about that transport. Nalia is meeting us just outside the city._

_What about Aaron?_ Ruby asked.

_He's in class right now, and he thinks the three of us can handle it._ Cerise turned back front and sped toward the forest of Forever Fall due north of the city. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw Nalia flying in the same direction. The two dragons met up and hovered in place for a few seconds.

_Lead the way, Rider, _Nalia said. Ruby nodded then sent Cerise a clearer image of where to go and what to look for. The red dragon took off toward the drop off location, as fast as her wings could carry her. Nalia flew at their four o'clock and kept pace nicely. Still, at their speed, they would barely make it to the drop off in time.

After a few minutes of flying, Ruby heard the distinctive sound of a Bullhead's engines behind her. She turned around and sure enough, a black and gray VTOL was catching up, fast. Nalia looked back as well and growled. _They aren't friendly,_ she said. _I'll deal with them, you two go ahead. _The green dragon turned around and roared a challenge at the Bullhead.

Ruby and Cerise kept flying toward the drop off. They heard the unmistakable sound of chain gun fire behind them. Even though she knew Nalia could take care of herself, Ruby knew what kind of damage a weapon like that can deliver. Also, she didn't know how dragon scales hold up to sustained fire.

After flying over a hill, Ruby saw another two Bullheads resting on the beach. She scowled, grabbed Crescent Rose and extended the weapon to rifle mode. She looked through the scope at those on the ground. Several men walked around carrying rifles and other assorted weapons. Others were hauling Faunus children from the backs of white and black windowless vans. One man looked directly at Ruby and scowled. He took out a scroll and pressed a button on it.

Shortly after that, the sky lit up around Ruby and Cerise. Dust rounds exploded all around them and against Cerise' rather exposed belly. Ruby felt her energy draining from the wards fast. After only a few seconds, the wards fell and the rounds started actually hitting Cerise. Dozens tore through her wings and through the scales on her underside. The red dragon roared in pain, and Ruby did as well. Cerise tried to turn back, but a Lightning Dust round impacted a joint where wing met body. Both dragon and Rider fell from the sky.

Cerise landed hard on the beach, throwing Ruby from the saddle. Somewhere in the crash, Ruby lost her grip on Crescent Rose and it flew across the sand. She weakly looked up and saw Cerise being surrounded by armed guards and robots, far more than could be seen from the air. Ruby panicked and stretched her mind out toward Nalia and the rest of her team at Beacon. _I need backup, now!_

A sudden electrical shock ran through Ruby and she screamed. The current flowed through her for what seemed like minutes. When it stopped, someone kicked Ruby over and held a gun to her face. The man Ruby saw scowl entered her vision range. "So you're the one who's been interfering with our operation," he growled, looking down at the defenseless Rider.

"Boss," someone Ruby could not see said, "Big Green took down Condor. What do we do now?"

'Boss' simply nodded. "Pack these two up. Use the stronger stuff on both of them." The guard with a riffle aimed at Ruby's head turned the gun around and smashed it into her face. Stars danced in her vision, and she felt blood start trickling down her nose. Something sharp pressed itself through the side of Ruby's neck. Soon everything but the pain dulled. Her vision became distorted and she could no longer feel Cerise in her head, even though she was staring right into her panic filled eyes.

"Cer…Ceerreeee…" Ruby attempted to say her dragon's name, but that's all that came out. Something struck her hard on the side of the head again, and everything went black.

* * *

POV: Nalia

Nalia roared at the large-metal-Bull-bird that approached from the impossible-built-two-leg-city. Inside, those fighting for the black-monster-bird slave organization wanted to shoot the green dragon out of the sky. Little did they know they were attacking the fastest dragon alive and the strongest on Remnant. The fools would learn soon enough.

The large-metal-Bull-bird fired its small-but-strong arrows at Nalia at an alarming rate. They impacted the dragon's wards and started draining her energy at impossible speed. She dove out of the way of the onslaught and swiped at the underside of the beast as it sped past. A few metal-feathers were torn off by her claws, but the large-metal-Bull-bird stayed in the air.

Nalia growled as the metal-bird turned its wind-makers toward the ground as the rest of the beast faced the dragon. She charged at the metal-bird and aimed a swing at the beast's right wing. The metal-bird evaded and fired more small-metal-arrows at the dragon. Ignoring the drain in energy, Nalia used her momentum to swing her tail at one of the wind-makers. That blow connected and the wind-maker started spewing smoke.

The large-metal-Bull-bird turned and flew away from Nalia, wind-makers turning back to their original position. _Cowards!_ Nalia mentally shouted and rushed after the whitelivers. The beast originally flew much faster than Nalia, but with the damaged wind-maker, the fastest dragon alive could keep up with it.

The smoke-spewing-wind-maker huffed out a large smoke cloud then stopped making noise. The large-metal-Bull-bird lost speed and angled toward the ground. Nalia flew up behind it and grabbed the injured wing with her front claws. With a decent amount of effort, she ripped the wing off the beast. The green dragon let go and the large-metal-Bull-bird fell into the forest, sending out a great ball of fire as it crashed.

Nalia admired her handiwork for a second before she felt Ruby's panicked consciousness press against her mind. _I need backup, now!_ she yelled, then the connection was abruptly cut off.

The green dragon turned back in the direction long-tailed-Cerise flew in. Nalia flapped her wings as hard as she could to get to the new-pair as fast as possible. Still, she wasn't fast enough. Another two of the large-metal-Bull-birds were flying away from a blood stained the beach at too-fast-for-a-dragon speeds. She stretched her mind out to find little-Ruby and young-Cerise. Nalia could feel their minds, but they were distant, unfocused. Her partner-of-her-heart-and-mind-Aaron quickly contacted her to find out what was going on. She sent him the memories of the previous minutes, then concentrated on speed.

Nalia doubled her efforts to catch up to the beasts, but they never got closer. Miles separated the dragon and metal-birds. After several minutes of chasing over open ocean, Nalia lost sight of the transports, and the feeling of the minds in them. Once more the dragon roared, but this time in sorrow. She failed to protect her students, and now they were heading to some far-off place in the hands of the black-monster-bird slavers.

Head hung in defeat, Nalia turned around and flew back toward the beach. She couldn't believe she was out flown by a pack of two-legs. On the flight back, she saw something colored in the water. The green dragon flew down for a closer look, in case whatever it was came from the slavers. When she got closer, she saw it was little-Ruby's hood. She carefully grabbed the body-cover out of the water and once again flew toward the bloody beach.

* * *

POV: Yang

"Take care of my sister out there, okay," Yang told Nalia. "I only have one, and they don't grow on trees."

Nalia huffed her amusement. _I shall do my best,_ she responded. _I can't say they won't return unharmed. I may have to give them both a mental lashing when we're done._ The green dragon took off and angled north. Yang watched her fly away from just outside the Dragonhouse.

She looked down at Halcyon who stood practically on top of her feet. "That's going to be us in a few weeks." Halcyon looked up at his Rider and chirped. He ran forward a few steps and shook his back in invitation. Yang couldn't help but laugh. "I like the enthusiasm, but I think I'm still a little too big for you." Halcyon's shoulders slumped and his head drooped.

Yang walked over to her dragon and rubbed his head like she would do to mess up Ruby's hair. "Come on, drama queen, let's get back to the room." The two walked across campus, attracting quite a few stares. Halcyon walked with an air of royalty and superiority, kind of like Weiss at the beginning of the school year. Yang rolled her eyes and chuckled at the sight. Somewhere down the road she'd have to break him out of that.

Yang entered the dorm through the main entrance while Halcyon took a short flight to their window. At three days old, he was getting big. He couldn't simply stand on Yang's shoulder anymore; he couldn't hold on without digging claws into her skin. Both of them were very disappointed at the discovery, but accepted it. They knew it wouldn't last long.

The blonde Rider opened the door to her room and saw Weiss already rubbing Halcyon's belly. "Spoiling him, are we?" Yang asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Well, when he rolls over like that, how can't I?" Weiss responded, never taking her eyes off the dragon.

"You never had a pet growing up, did you?" Blake asked, looking over her book.

"No, none that I could call my own anyway."

"Halcyon isn't a pet either," Yang said, a bit more forcefully than intended. "That's what we thought Cerise was at first, but now look at her. She is her own person and has no master."

Weiss shrugged. "Point taken." She looked at the clock on the wall and straightened up. "I suppose we should get ready for class now. We have fifteen minutes."

Yang sighed. "Well looks like Ruby's going to be late then."

Blake set down her book at sent Yang a questioning look. "Why would she be late?"

"Ruby, Cerise, and Nalia are going after a Nervermores transport. Nalia left to give the other two back up when I left the Dragonhouse. They shouldn't be much-"

Yang was cut off by Ruby's mind suddenly burst into her own. _I need backup, now!_ Just as sudden as she was there, she was gone.

The blonde Rider froze in place as she tried to reconnect to Ruby's mind. Try as she might, her mental range just wasn't far enough. The panic Ruby felt…she was scared for her life. Weiss and Blake stared at Yang, equally horrified. Yang shook herself out of her trance, grabbed Ember Celica, and bolted out the door.

Aaron's mind then pressed itself against Yang's. _Main courtyard, now! Bring your weapons._ He didn't have to tell Yang twice. She sprinted through the residence hall, not caring who she ran through along the way. Luckily, the doors outside were open, otherwise she would have smashed right through the glass.

Yang kept running across campus until she reached the courtyard. She skidded to a stop and immediately searched around for Aaron. It took her a few seconds, but she saw him running full tilt toward the courtyard from one of the class buildings.

"What's going on?" Yang demanded when Aaron came to a stop in front of her.

After a few seconds of panting, Aaron said, "They have her. Nalia's in pursuit, but they're too fast." Yang froze in place again and her eyes widened. She imagined all the color drained from her face.

"What happened?" Weiss asked making Yang jump. She didn't realize her the rest of her team caught up. Halcyon landed close by and quickly made his way over to Yang. Then team Gray arrived in full armor, confusing her for a second before she decided that it didn't matter. More help was always appreciated.

"Nalia said an armed Bullhead ambushed them over Forever Fall. She fought it off while Ruby and Cerise continued to a Nevermores transport. Nalia took down the Bullhead, and that's when Ruby called for help. By the time she got to the beach, it was too late." Aaron looked sadly at Yang. "She saw a lot of blood on the beach, she believes it belongs to Ruby and Cerise."

Yang clenched both her fists and clenched her eyes as tight as she could. Beside her, Halcyon growled. Even though the golden dragon was only a few days old and didn't even come up to Yang's knees, that growl could have scared the life out of many people. The pure rage his mind put out even scared his Rider.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Blake asked, furious herself. "Let's go find her!"

"I'm with Blake on this, let's move." Percy said.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything," Weiss started, "but how are we going to get anywhere fast enough?"

"Leave that to me." Zach said. Instantly, a strange olive-green vehicle that looked like a giant brick with wings appeared, and team Gray was already climbing in.

"You guys coming or what?" Sakura asked as the vehicle's engine started.

Weiss lead the group aboard, Aaron and Yang close behind. The blonde Rider looked down at her side to see Halcyon walking beside her, radiating fury and growling the whole way. Yang stopped and Halcyon shot his Rider a questioning glare. "Halcyon," Yang said, "I don't think you should come with." The rage in the hatchling's eyes vanished immediately, and his light growl turned into a whimper. "It's not that I don't want you by my side, but you're too small, too young. You're more likely to get hurt out there than any of us."

Halcyon whimpered again and nuzzled Yang's leg. She bent down to look her dragon in the eyes. "I swear, I _will_ bring our sisters back. The monsters that hurt them will regret ever stepping outside." Halcyon rubbed his face against Yang's and flew back toward team RWBY's dorm room.

Yang stood back up and made her way aboard the green brick of a vehicle just as its engines were warming up. Almost as soon as she got on, the hatch closed, and it lifted up off the ground. Soon enough, they were hurtling through the sky at nearly Mach 1.

While Aaron entered the cockpit's doorway, Yang watched the city and then trees roll by beneath them. While she tried to stay solid on the outside, she was falling apart on the inside. _She was supposed to just be out for a flight. It was just another criminal in Vale. How did it turn out like this?_ She couldn't help obsessing over what could have gone differently so that everyone would be in class instead of out searching for her sister.

Yang was so busy in her dejection she didn't notice the craft going in for a landing, the hatch opening in the process, on a blood-soaked beach. She saw Nalia looking up at the Bullhead with big sad eyes. Crescent Rose sat fully extended in front of the green dragon.

The blonde Rider dropped to the ground while the transport was still a dozen feet off the ground and slowly walked over to her sister's beloved weapon. She grabbed it with both hands and held it close. Tears slowly escaped her eyes. Nalia hummed sadly and stretched out one of her large paws, toes up. She opened her 'fist' and Yang's spirits dropped even more. Nalia held Ruby's hood. The green dragon lowered her head to look the blonde in the eyes. _Yang, I am so sorry._

Yang grew angry again. She let go of Crescent Rose with her right hand and threw a strong right hook at Nalia's head. It connected and her head smashed into the beach five feet away from where it started. "You were supposed to protect her! Where the hell were you?"

Nalia lifted her head out of the sand and growled at Yang. _I followed the Nevermores transports miles out to sea. When they get up to speed, there's not a dragon alive can catch them. Anyway, if I didn't escort Ruby and Cerise, they would most likely be dead from that ambush._

"How do you know they aren't?"

_I know Ruby well enough that if she had died, I would have felt it even if it happened on the other side of the bloody planet._ Ponda replied. _I haven't felt her die. Not yet anyways._

Nalia then quickly looked at Aaron. Yang followed her gaze and saw the other Rider kneeling by a white and gray part of the ocean. The blonde Rider walked over to the spot, gasped and dropped Crescent Rose. It was Ruby. Her arms and legs were bound together, and something was stuffed in her mouth. Her nose sat at an unnatural angle and a large red mark sat on the right side of her face. Blood, dried and fresh, covered her lower face, as well as one spot on her neck.

The image in the water switched over to Cerise. She wasn't in any better condition. Her legs were shackled and her shredded wings bound to her body. Bullet holes and scorch marks covered her once beautiful scales. Unlike Ruby, Cerise was bandaged heavily across her belly.

"If they were dead," Aaron said, "we wouldn't be seeing anything." Yang took a few involuntary steps back and covered her mouth with both hands. Now the tears flowed freely down her face.

A light hand fell on Yang's shoulder. She turned to see an equally distressed Weiss. Still, there was steel in the heiress' gaze. "Yang, they're alive," she said. "We will find them, and we will make these bastards pay."

"Those mother fucking, gods damned, sons of bitches are gonna wish they were never born." Maliki said, his deeper and demonic sounding voice being the indicators.

"Indeed. They have managed to piss off the wrong group. Not only have they pissed off a dragon, two riders, and two huntresses-in-training, but they have also pissed off eight SPARTAN IIs, three of whom are gods." Sephiroth agreed. "And you know that someone has fucked up when they have me and Maliki _agreeing_ on making them pay."

_I'll even make sure that my dad gives their leader eternal punishment in the Fields._ Ponda added.

Yang nodded then wiped her eyes. She walked back over to Nalia, who still had Ruby's hood in her paw. The blonde Rider grabbed her sister's favorite piece of clothing and carefully folded it. Then she looked out over the ocean, to wherever those bastards took her sister. _I'm coming for you Ruby,_ she thought. _I'm bringing you and Cerise home._

* * *

**And here's where things really start to diverge from _A Rose's Scales_. It will start out small, and slowly but surely branch off from there. There will still be similarities between the two, but how events play out and such will be very much different. You'll see what I mean soon enough.**


	17. Payback

Wednesday, September 2

POV: Yang

Yang was on the verge of tears, yet furious at the same time. They had been searching for three hours, and found nothing. Aaron and Nalia split off after the beach while Yang, Blake, and Weiss stayed on the craft. The Riders stretched their minds out as far as they could go, but so far, neither of them found anything. The only living creatures this far out of the city were Grimm or a few animals. The Bullhead passed a couple small villages, but neither held any hostile intent.

The blonde Rider watched the ground fly past beneath her. She knew the stats. If someone is kidnapped and they aren't found in less than forty-eight hours, chances of finding them dropped to almost nothing. That only applied inside the cities and outlying villages. Outside, they could disappear almost in the blink of an eye.

Something came into Yang's mental range. She looked north at a mountain still miles off. Another village sat near the top. It almost made sense, it being in a highly defensible location, but this far out of the kingdoms, it couldn't be incredibly safe.

As she passively scanned the minds of those inside, Yang noticed something was off. Several of the people there were scared out of their minds, but not from Grimm. Two minds out of the entire group were barely noticeable. They were hazy, undefined. But the panic in one of them stuck out like a sore thumb. Yang poked at it a little to see if she could get anything more out of it, but got nothing. She turned her attention to the rest of the people. They weren't scared at all, they were having a good time. That definitely ruled out a Grimm attack.

Yang studied the base emotions of the clear-headed ones for several minutes to get any information out of them, then turned her attention back to the hazy head she felt before. She poked at it again, but this time it grabbed on weakly. Yang gasped. She knew that feeling. _Help…_Ruby thought weakly.

"Ruby!" Yang screamed with her voice and mind. She tried to grab onto her sister's mind, but it slipped out of reach.

"You found her?" Blake asked over the sound of engines and wind.

Yang turned around to see her two teammates staring at her. "I did." She climbed into the cockpit and pointed at the mountain. "She's up there, near the top of the mountain."

Zach leaned forward in his seat and stared at the mountain. "We fly right toward them, and they'll see us coming, if they haven't already.," he said. "Pelicans are meant for insertion, but not taking the about 70 AA guns that I'd say they probably got up there. I won't be able to get us all the way up there. Plus, there's the chance that they would just kill her the moment they spot us."

The blonde Rider growled. "Were you able to call in any support?"

"Atlas is sending the cruiser _Vytal_ to assist in the search. Based on our last communication, they're still over two hours away from us." Sakura said.

Yang nodded then left the cockpit. She pulled out her scroll and hit Aaron's speed dial. He picked up after two rings. "Find any leads?" he asked.

"I've found Ruby, and she's surrounded by the Nevermores and what I can only guess are more captives."

A roar could be heard from the other side of the link. "We're on our way to you now. Is there anything else?"

"Their base in near the top of a mountain, but we're going to have to get there on foot. We'll be sitting ducks in this thing if we fly right up there."

"Understood. We'll be there as soon as we can." Aaron hung up and Yang put her scroll back in her pocket. The Pelican turned away from the mountain and started coasting to the trees below. The three teammates jumped out of the transport and drew their weapons. It landed about 2 seconds later, and team Gray got out, soon followed by it disappearing.

"You could have waited for us to land." Sakura said. She got no response, however, as Yang lead the way through the forest, Weiss and Blake flanking her to either side. Team Gray began following.

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of Grimm in the area, at first. Only a few Beowolves and Ursai. They were easy to handle with just melee attacks, and not having to worry about the sound of gunshots being heard. Then their numbers grew, and whole packs attacked at once. But every time that happened, the group walked over their opponent's decaying corpses. Nothing was keeping them from Ruby.

An hour and a half later, the group had climbed halfway up the mountain when Yang saw Nalia flying extremely low and fast over the trees. The green dragon angled up and grabbed onto the cliff the girls just passed. Aaron jumped off his dragon's back and drew his sword. Nalia snorted then jumped back into the trees below. "Nice entrance," Yang said, only a hit if her normal tone leaking in.

Aaron shrugged but never stopped walking. "I try, now let's go." He took the lead and continued to hike up the mountain. Yang fell in after him with the others right on her heels. As the group climbed the mountain, the Grimm almost stopped attacking. Still, they never let their guard down. The beasts could be cleared out regularly by the Nevermores.

Eventually, Aaron stopped signaled everyone to get down. _Mental communication from here on out. Weiss, Blake, team Gray, think what you would normally say._

_Are we getting close?_ Blake thought.

Yang mentally growled. _They're right over the next hill._ The group crawled up to the top of the hill and looked down at the complex below them. From the air, it would have just looked like an abandoned structure, since several walls and roofs were caved in. From the ground, Yang saw lights in the buildings and several gun barrels sticking out of camouflaged tarps.

_Yea, like I thought, those guns would be able to take out a Pelican. Assuming they're operational, that is._ Zach thought.

Almost the whole way through the climb, Yang tried to break through the haze surrounding Ruby's mind, but nothing worked. The rest of the time she read the thoughts of those she thought to be guards. She mentally noted all that she learned the entire time. _They're prepared for a Grimm attack on our side, not a Huntsman infiltration team. They expect any attack from people to come from the air. Several makeshift and stolen anti-aircraft guns line the cliff edge. Still, it won't be enough to hold back the _Vytal_ when it gets here._

_Suddenly, I'm glad we walked,_ Weiss thought.

_How far out is the _Vytal? Aaron asked.

_Less than a half hour, I'm sure they'll send fighter support ahead of them._ _Atlas always does._ Yang felt something different from inside the base. Those that appeared to be in the same room as Ruby started worrying at the same time. There was one man in the room, but Yang couldn't place his thoughts. _But I don't think we can wait that long._

Aaron's eyes narrowed at the building below them. _I feel it too, and I don't like it._ He whipped his head around and looked back the way they came. _There's also a patrol heading this way in five minutes. We need to move._

_How can we assault that place? _Weiss asked in disbelief._ There's only twelve of us._

_You can't fight with honor against those who have none,_ Aaron said. _We don't attack head on, we infiltrate and do what damage we can._

_He's right. Here's my plan, Weiss, Blake, Nick, Ponda, you go and take the command center. David, Momaw, trash their birds and AAs. Me and Percy will go with Aaron and free Cerise. Yang, Zach, and Gregor will free the prisoners. Understood?_ Sakura said. She received a chorus of affirmations in response.

Yang looked at the more experienced Rider and Sakura with a questioning look. _Have they done something like this before? _she thought to herself.

_I've noticed something while scanning their minds. There's a gap in their defenses by the tree line on the other side of the building. Our entry point is a door on that side._ Aaron slowly crawled backward down the hill and retreated to the forest. Yang and the others followed suit. The blonde Rider looked back at her teammates while in the tree cover. They both wore expressions of doubt, the first time Yang ever saw it on either of them.

_We got this, _she thought at them. _We'll get Ruby out of there, we have to._ Yang turned back front before she saw their reactions. The group snuck through the tree line as quickly as they could. Aaron picked up the pace when all prisoners besides Ruby felt another pang of fear. Yang pushed herself past the other Rider, wanting to get to her sister before something bad happened.

The team stopped across from a weak looking door on the building. _Though I can't hold you to this,_ Aaron thought,_ I'd prefer everyone use non-lethal force against these people._

Yang turned on Aaron, growing slightly angry. _And why should we?_

Aaron turned to the blonde. _Give them a taste of their own medicine. Let them rot in jail._ There was something else behind Aaron's reason, but Yang couldn't tell what it was. _Yang, the quickest way for us to do that is to put them to sleep with magic. The word is slytha. _The blonde Rider nodded then looked back toward the door.

_I'm just gonna say this now, I'm probably going to end up killing someone in here today._ Zach responded. _And don't give me any crap, because sometimes there's no choice but to kill someone or someone gets killed._

Two guards walked on by, paying more attention to something on one of their scrolls than their surroundings. They continued around the building, and there was no one else in sight.

_Now!_ Aaron mentally yelled. The twelve jumped out of their cover and ran for the door. The older Rider whispered something, and the door swung open on its own. Yang rushed in first and looked down both hallways she found herself standing in. Weiss was the last in and closed the door behind her.

_Remember your roles, people._ Sakura reminded them, and everyone took off, with Zach and Gregor following Yang.

_Just curious, but why did Sakura have you two come with me?_ Yang asked.

_I'm more there for insurance, and Gregor is a skilled medic._ Zach responded instantly.

Yang nodded. It was a good thing Sakura knew there was no way she wasn't after Ruby. She sprinted through the halls in the general direction of her sister. Only one person blocked their path, an aging man in a blood-stained lab coat. They stood a few feet apart from each other for a few seconds before Yang put the man to sleep. She stuffed the now snoring man into a supply closet, then continued toward Ruby.

The three of them turned a corner and saw an empty doorway down the hall. Most of the prisoners, including Ruby, were on the other side. The one man was still inside, and Yang still couldn't place his emotions. A gust of wind blew down the hall, nearly knocking Yang off her feet. Someone's Semblance? Why would that be used inside? She approached the room cautiously, not knowing what the unknown man inside was capable of.

Yang stepped through the doorway and gasped. Ruby was chained to the wall, slightly elevated off the ground. Her facial injuries now included a massive left black eye. A dog's ear stuck out of her hair on the right side of her head, dried blood running down through her eye to her mouth. Her hair around her new ear had much more red than before. A massive red gash ran the length of her right arm. A fresh cut under her right arm oozed blood from just under her armpit to just above her hip.

A man with a bloody sword stood a few feet away from Ruby. "I will admit, you surprised me," he growled. "But I don't think you can survive three doses. No one ever has. Don't make me go there."

Ruby looked up from the floor and locked her swollen and teary eyes with Yang's. She whimpered into the bloody cloth in her mouth. The man stared at Ruby, then turned to look at the doorway. He blinked several times when he saw someone standing in the doorway.

Zach bolted into action before Yang even had a chance to react. He sprinted into the room and slammed an armored fist into the man's face with enough force behind it to cause a shockwave and send the man flying. He then caught up with the man's flying body in an instant, and slammed him against the ground. "Do us all a favor and stay down, you mother fucking asshole." He said.

Yang had been staring at Zach's brutality when heard another whimper to her left. Yang whipped her head around and looked at her sister hanging on the wall. Ruby just stared at Yang, her eyes pleading. She then walked over to her sister.

The chained-up girl looked to sigh, then started screaming, as did all the other hostages in the room. Yang looked around, startled. She heard a faint electrical crackling. She turned back to the man on the floor and saw he had a scroll out with a big red button on the screen.

Yang ran over to the man and grabbed his neck with one hand. She hauled him to his feet and held her other hand a few inches from his face. "If _one person_ dies in there, so do you! Turn it off!" She faintly noticed Zach and Gregor pointing machine guns at his head.

"Can't," the man said, almost laughing through the choke hold. "Only my boys in the command center can turn it off." Just as he finished speaking, the screaming stopped. The man's cockiness disappeared instantly.

Yang was about to say something, when she heard the beginning of an anguished roar from Cerise. Almost a second later, it stopped abruptly. In fact, everything seemed to have stopped. Then, Yang turned around, and was met with Ruby's body having gone completely limp. Yang stretched her mind out, but felt nothing from Ruby.

Ruby was dead, and there was nothing Yang could do about it.

Then, before Yang really had a chance to take in the fact that her sister was dead, three new minds appeared out of nowhere, but Yang was unable to get anything from them except their location, and they seemed to be approaching the door to the room.

"It was not her time to go." An unknown voice said, followed by three old women entering the room.

"Indeed." Zach replied, "It was not. And yet, she is gone." Yang then realized that only the three old women, alongside her, Zach, and Gregor really had any activity in their minds.

"What is going on here?!" She exclaimed, anger at losing her sister evident in her voice.

"You are viewing things from the speed most gods chose to view it from, and we are the Fates." The second of the women said.

"We brought you into this conversation due to your relation to the one who died before her time." The third one said.

"I sink I know viy you came to us." Gregor started, "Despite hating our guts for derailing some of your vorse plans, ve're your best bet for fixing zis, and because of ze fact zat ve're friends vis Ruby, you believe ve'd be more villing to help."

"You are correct, Gregor Wolfe, son of Ares." The second one said.

"One issue. The ancient laws physically prevent me from casting the spell that I would need to cast in order to fix it." Zach said.

"We have already accounted for that, and have managed to bend the laws to enable you to cast it, but you will need to be quick about it. The laws will reset themselves within a minute of the time-flow returning to normal speed." The first one said.

"Ok, then let's stop wasting time. Yang, when time returns to normal, knock that dickwad the fuck out." Zach replied.

"What kind of spell are you going to use?" Yang asked.

"Last Ages. A spell from Ark of Time magic. It revinds time everyvere, at ze cost of ze caster's time. However, due to Zach having unlimited time, all it vill cost him is a lot of magic power." Gregor said. "Everyone vill remember vat had happened before time vas reversed, but only zose inside ze magic circle vill remember long term. For everyone else, it vill simply fade from zeir minds, as if it vas simply a dream."

"We will be leaving now, and with us goes this perception of time." The third one said, followed with them disappearing instantaneously, and Cerise's anguished roar returning to their ears. Yang promptly did as she was told, and punched the slave taker who took her sister from her in the face hard enough to both give him a concussion, and knock him out cold.

Zach then got onto his knees and raised his hands, which then began glowing with a light blue light, promptly followed by him slamming his open hands, palm down onto the ground, causing a pillar of light-blue light to erupt around the three of them. Almost as quickly as it started, it stopped, and time was reversed by about two minutes. Even their locations were back to where they were two minutes ago. Then Zach, despite his armor showing numerous burn marks, and having used a massive amount of energy turning back time, wasted none of it, and pulled a knife off of his chest, one that had an eight-inch long, steel colored blade, and a black handle. As he did so, he sprinted forward towards the asshole. He then grabbed the slaver, slammed him against the nearest wall, before promptly jamming the blade into the man's throat, killing him. Yang was left in shock at the sheer brutality of the act Zach just did, especially the fact that Zach had just killed someone. "That's what you get you gods damned piece of shit son of a fat racist mother fucking retarded bitch of a kangaroo herding Canadian."

The blonde blinked a few times to clear her mind of the shock. She then turned back to look at her sister. Ruby still hung in her chains, but alive and unshocked. Yang quickly ran back to her sister and quickly untied the gag in her mouth. "Yaaaa…" Ruby said weakly.

"I'm getting you out of here Ruby," Yang said, then turned her attention to the chains. She may not have had a key for the shackles, or the right magic words to break it, but she did have her strength. Yang wrapped her fingers around two links in the chain and pulled in opposite directions. No matter how hard she pulled though, the metal wouldn't break. She had been hearing breaking from the chains of the other prisoners, likely Zach and Gregor's work.

"Jierda," Yang heard a voice behind her say. The chain didn't break, but the shackle holding Ruby's injured arm in place did. It slumped forward and hung limply. Yang turned around and saw Aaron standing in the doorway with an arm out stretched. "You got that, right?" he asked the blonde Rider.

Yang nodded then turned to Ruby's other hand. "Jierda," she said, and the shackle fractured. Now unsupported, Ruby fell forward into her sister's arms. Yang broke the shackles on Ruby's legs and carried her away from the wall.

"Set her down here," Aaron said, crumpling up his jacket and setting it down on the floor. Yang complied, gently setting her injured sister on the ground with her head on the makeshift pillow. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being chained to a wall.

"What happened to Sakura and Percy?" she asked.

Aaron looked over the bleeding gash on Ruby's side and quickly sealed it. "They're with Cerise. The alarm wasn't raised, most of the base doesn't know we're here. " He looked up at Yang. "I'll take care of Ruby, you do what you can for the others."

"I'll try and make Atlas' job easier." Zach said, before leaving the room, likely intending to deal with the side effects of the spell he cast without anyone being able to see him on top of what he said that he was going to do.

Yang nodded hesitantly. She shook her head then looked around the room. Twelve Faunus had been chained up around the room, all of them held similar injuries. She quickly walked over to left end of the room and knelt down before an extremely young lion Faunus. Yang quickly broke the child's shackles and took the gag out of her mouth. The blonde continued down the line as quickly as she could, but only had the chance to get to two of them due to Zach and Gregor having gotten the rest.

Yang was on the final Faunus when she heard loud engines pass above the building. The alarm sounded, yet Aaron smiled. "The cavalry has arrived."

"Why would Weiss or Blake raise the alarm? Won't that give us away?"

"If the military showed up and the alarm wasn't raised, some people might get suspicious." Just then, numerous explosions were heard from around the base, likely the result of David and Momaw's work. Aaron turned back to Ruby and held a hand over her neck. Yang looked around the room, noting that all the prisoners were now free. Soon gunshots could be heard outside along with a dragon's roar, but both Riders and the SPARTAN kept their attention on their tasks.

As soon as the last child was free and on her feet, Yang rushed to her sister's side and grabbed her hand. Ruby turned her head and smiled weakly up at Yang. Her nose sat it it's correct position again. No blood covered any portion of her face. Her black eye no longer existed. But the dog ear still stuck out of her hair, and her eyes were still clouded.

"Ruby," Aaron said, "I'm going to put you to sleep and take the ear off. You'll be out for a few minutes at most, I'll wake you up when I'm finished. Do you understand?" Ruby slowly blinked once, and Aaron nodded. "Slytha." The girl's eyes closed slowly, and her head lolled to the side.

"Is there anything we could do?" a sheepish voice asked behind Yang. She turned around and saw that a rabbit Faunus had stepped forward. The girl looked to be the oldest of the group.

Yang berated herself for ignoring the other hostages. "Right now, if Atlas soldiers come through that door, tell them we aren't hostile." She looked over the large group of kids and looked over their various injuries. "I can help with cuts and bruises, but anything other than that you'll have to wait for Aaron or Atlas."

"I can help vith some of the vorse injuries." Gregor spoke up in a shockingly calm and comforting voice while pulling a white medkit off his left thigh.

No one moved for several seconds, then the first girl Yang freed stepped forward clutching her left wrist. She let go of it and Yang saw a nasty cut mark running across. "Can you fix it?" she whispered.

Yang smiled and nodded. "I can." She stuck out her right hand and said, "Waíse heill." The red mark slowly closed, and relief showed on the girl's face. "Is there anything else wrong?"

The girl shook her head then slowly hugged Yang. "Thank you for coming."

Yang returned the hug and said, "You're welcome." She continued the process for the next three kids, and each one drained her energy, and she was running on empty after the chains. She tried to go onto a fifth when Aaron put a hand on her shoulder.

"Take a break," he said. "Ruby's awake, and I'm sure she wants you to talk to her." Yang sighed in relief then turned back to Ruby. Sure enough her eyes were open and staring at her sister. Physically, she looked perfectly fine. However, her eyes were still foggy and unfocused. Her mind was in the same condition.

"Ruby, why do you have to be so selfless?" Yang asked in a joking yet concerned voice. Ruby forced out a laugh twice but otherwise stayed silent. Yang grew worried again. "What's the matter, can't you talk?"

Ruby shook her head. "P…psssssnn."

"Poison?" Yang asked. Her sister blinked once, most likely meaning yes.

"Oh come on, you gotta' be kidding me, I like zat stuff. Viy vould zey vaste it." Gregor said quietly, but Yang chose to ignore it.

Even through the fog, Yang saw worry creep into Ruby's eyes. "Ceerreeessse?"

Yang's breath caught in her throat. She completely forgot about her sister's dragon after seeing Ruby chained up. The blonde Rider stretched out her mind to look for the other hazy mind. "I believe she's two rooms down." Yang looked at the wall between her and the red dragon. "She's alive, but her mind is just as clouded as yours."

Just as she stood up, Yang heard several armored footfalls out in the hall. She turned to the door, ready to fight those who would come in. Almost as an afterthought, she stretched her mind out to the people in the halls. She calmed down when she found out they were Atlas soldiers.

Several armored men burst into the room and quickly pointed their weapons at Yang. She held up her hands and pointed her gauntlets at the ceiling. "Whoa, whoa! I'm a friendly! We're all friendlies!" The soldiers kept their weapons trained for a few more seconds, then stood down.

"Sergeant, you might want to take a look at this," a soldier in the hall called. He was kneeling by the corpse that Zach had made. One of the other soldiers in the room walked to the hall and looked at the man.

"Tiger one to _Vytal_ actual," the sergeant said into his communicator, "we've made contact with an infiltration team, and we have one of the O'Donnells KIA. There are also a large number of hostages in here. Requesting orders." He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Copy that, proceeding to new objective."

The soldier turned back to those in the room. "Listen up, command doesn't want any of you leaving this room until the facility is cleared. After that, you'll be escorted outside to transports that will take you to the _Vytal._ Four, Five, stay and guard this room."

"Yes sir!" two of the soldiers said in unison.

"The rest of you, with me." All but two of the soldiers filed out of the room.

Yang sighed and knelt back down next to Ruby. "Well, it looks like we're safe now," the older sister said. "Those soldiers are heading right for Cerise. She'll be fine." Ruby sighed and her shoulders relaxed. "We found your hood and Crescent Rose by the way. They're back on the 'Pelican' or whatever it's called, that we came in." That elicited yet another sigh of relief from the girl.

Yang opened her mouth again, but closed it and just looked at her baby sister. She nearly lost Ruby. Ruby was in such a bad condition. There wasn't much worse it could have been. Yet here she was, almost smiling despite what happened to here. How? How could Ruby do this? Yang's eyes teared up as she brushed Ruby's bangs away from her face. She leaned forward and kissed Ruby on the forehead. "I love you so much, Ruby." Yang pulled a hand back tapped Ruby's cheek with a palm in the softest slap she could manage. "But don't you_ dare_ scare me like that ever again. You hear me?"

The corners of Ruby's lips curled up. "Llllllvvvv yyyyyyyyyy tttttttoooo."

The over the next fifteen minutes Yang explained to Ruby in detail of the search for her. She almost broke down several times in her explanation, and Ruby listened intently the whole time. When Yang finished, the younger sister slowly moved one of her hands to cover one of Yang's. Ruby smiled weakly again and gratitude shone through the haze in her eyes.

"Time to move out people!" one of the guards called. "Stick together and we'll get you out of here."

"Can you help me out a little, Ruby?" Yang asked her sister. Ruby sat up a little and bent her legs. The older sister stuck her arms under the new holes and picked Ruby up. Aaron was one of the first ones out of the prison, holding the hand of the young lion Faunus girl. Yang and Ruby were the last out of the room. One of the soldiers carried the dead hostage taker over his shoulder, likely as a form of proof for the media.

Over the walk, Ruby practically melted into Yang's arms. The older sister wanted to smile at the sight, but she couldn't. Not until Ruby was on the _Vytal._ Not until her little sister could speak again. Not until her mind was cleared of the fog.

As expected, the group made it outside without meeting any resistance. An Atlesian cruiser hung in the air over the facility. Several Bullheads and other transports sat around the courtyard, some of which were little more than smoldering wrecks, likely having been the Nevermore's. Yang looked to her left and saw Cerise on a large transport pallet being moved by several soldiers. She turned so Ruby could see her dragon.

Ruby gasped in Yang's arms when she saw her dragon. Cerise looked over and lifted her head slightly. She hummed deeply and blinked her eyes slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw Aaron start running toward the red dragon. "I told you she'd be alright Ruby," Yang whispered to her sister.

Two gunshots came from inside the building. All the soldiers in the courtyard pointed their guns at the source. Yang whipped her head around to see what all the commotion was about.

The man in the lab coat she put to sleep earlier stood in the doorway, a pistol and two soldiers with bullet holes through their helmets lay on the ground next to him, and a rocket launcher in hand. He lifted it up, and aimed it straight at Yang.

She saw what was coming and perpendicular to where the rocket was aiming., but carrying Ruby slowed her down. The rocket toting man suddenly fell forwards, a knife in the back of his head, but the rocket still fired. Yang felt the explosion behind her and was sent flying. She lost her grip on Ruby somewhere in the air. Yang landed in a heap, but her Aura protected her from the worst injury. She looked around frantically for Ruby. When Yang saw her sister, her heart skipped a beat. _No! _

The entire right side of Ruby's body was shredded, from her feet to her head.

* * *

**So, yeah. Ruby died, then came back, and O'Donnell is fuckin' **_**dead**_**, dead.**

**I'm planning a couple of prequel stories for this one which will focus on the backstory of my OCs. I'm thinking of doing three, maybe four, different stories. One or two for the _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ series and the _Heroes of Olympus_ series, as in I may combine them, I may not. I am also planning one for the _Halo_ game series, and one for the shit they went through when they wound up in _Fairy Tail_, which means that this is technically a five way crossover.**

**Also, something that occurred to me is that some of you may be wondering why it is that Church couldn't just draw Ethernano, AKA magic power, from Zach's Origin. That is because while Ethernano is a physical particle, a person's Origin is a metaphysical organ, similar to a person's soul. Yes, Aura is the physical manifestation of a person's soul, however, I think that, while it is that, it also is separate from their soul. Otherwise, any time someone blocked an attack with their Aura, their soul would become damaged. I think that Aura is POWERED by the soul, and therefore takes on the likeness of the soul. Back on topic, Ethernano in a person's Origin becomes metaphysical and therefore, Church could not use it unless Zach sent it out. Also, as for how Church survived for 12 years without any neat tricks, he was offline for four of them and was made similarly to how Cortana was made. He also managed to get extremely lucky, because while most A.I.s deteriorate after seven years, there are, in my mind, some lucky ones that last even longer, making it to eight or maybe even almost nine years before hitting rampancy. So there's that.**


	18. Recovery One

Wednesday, September 2

POV: Yang

Yang lay on her stomach while looking at her sister. She couldn't believe it. Ruby was healed. She was outside of that prison, heading to a transport to take her to the _Vytal_ where she'd be safe. Now, she bleeding out on the ground.

Aaron sprinted across the yard then slid to a stop on his knees. He immediately started chanting in the Ancient Language to heal the young Rider. Yang saw several injuries heal up through her sister's torn clothing, but there was so much. She took her gaze off her sister for a second to look at Cerise. Nalia was physically holding the much smaller dragon back. Cerise released an anguished roar and tried to throw Nalia off, but without success.

Yang looked back to her sister and saw two medics carrying a stretcher between them. Aaron stood up and pointed a hand down at Ruby. He said something and the red Rider floated off the ground slowly, in the same position as when she lay on the ground. The medics gaped at the sight, but held their position. Ruby gently floated down onto the stretcher, and the medics carried her off to one of the transports. Yang finally found her legs and rushed off after her sister.

_Yang, don't,_ Nalia called.

The blonde Rider turned on the green dragon, still running toward her sister. "Why shouldn't I?" she yelled, not caring who heard.

Nalia's wings and head drooped. _You'll only get in the way. I know you want to help, but what can you do? You're already weakened and you can only heal superficial wounds right now._ Yang slowed to a halt, then looked back at Ruby, the medics, and Aaron piling into a transport. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Nalia was right. She couldn't do anything to help her sister now. It was all up to Aaron and the doctors on the Vytal.

Yang stretched her mind out toward her sister's, even though Ruby might not hear. _I'm not leaving you, so please don't leave me._ The transport flew off, and she didn't get a response.

"Yang!" she heard Weiss call behind her. Yang didn't turn around, she just followed Ruby's transport as it flew up toward the cruiser. "Where's Ruby?"

Now Yang turned around to face her other teammates. Both Weiss and Blake wore looks of concern. "She's on her way to the Vytal," she managed to say through a constricted throat.

Both teammates stopped breathing for a second while their eyes lit up with worry. "What happened?" Blake finally said.

Yang growled and looked at the dead man in a lab coat. "That son of a bitch had a rocket launcher. I don't know what kind of Dust it had, but it burnt and…shredded Ruby." Yang's head dipped. "My Aura barely held."

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. "Please tell me she's alive," Weiss whispered.

Cerise slowly came into Yang's vision, limping and growling at the man in the lab coat. "If she wasn't, I don't think Cerise would be so calm right now." Cerise stalked over to the dead man. She stuck her claws into the corpse, which was now missing the knife that had been buried in its skull, and flung it into another one of the buildings in the facility. She roared weakly at where the corpse landed, then collapsed on the ground.

"You call that calm?" Weiss scoffed, a little fear sneaking into her voice.

"Considering that he nearly killed her Rider, yes." While Yang knew she didn't know how much Halcyon really meant to her yet, remembering how Cerise and Ruby interacted since the forest gave her a good idea. They were more than just friends, more than family. Right now, Yang had a hard time seeing Halcyon as much more than a pet, despite her earlier protests. She hoped that would change soon. Still, she did not envy the situation Cerise was currently in, for multiple reasons.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough in killing that mother fucker. If I had turned that corner just a second earlier, I could have stopped him from firing that damn thing in the first place." Zach said, him and his team walking over, him with a familiar knife in his hand, wiping blood off the blade. Zach stuck his hand out, and the Pelican appeared in about the same spot that Ruby's transport took off from. "Momaw, fly it aboard, I have something I need to do to this fucking place."

Momaw and Sakura climbed into the cockpit as the members of team RWBY and Gray team, minus Zach, who were still on the ground ran toward their transport. They were barely inside when the Pelican lifted off the ground and started flying toward the _Vytal_. It was a short flight, but it might as well have been hours for Yang. She knew in the back of her head Ruby was in good hands, but not being there to help made her feel useless.

_She is dying, __**but**__, at the rate it's happening, they'll be able to save her. Especially considering that an early 21__st__ century hospital would be able to do so, and your hospitals are the equivalent of a late 22__nd__ century hospital._ Ponda said, trying to ease Yang, and it worked, if only slightly.

The Pelican flew up to the side of the Vytal and hovered there. Several other transports and fighters flew in and out. Even when there was a lull, their craft stayed in place. Yang heard the Sakura speaking on the radio with the Vytal. In the back of her head, she knew that she had to get clearance to land in a military vessel. Everything else screamed bullshit. Her sister was in trouble and they still needed to go through all that crap? Ruby needed her...even though she couldn't do anything.

Finally, the Pelican rose up and glided into the hangar on the Vytal. Weiss and Blake stepped out while Yang retrieved Ruby's hood and Crescent Rose from a storage compartment. She wrapped the weapon in the hood in an attempt to conceal it in case the soldiers took away their weapons. Ruby always felt safer with her scythe nearby.

"Are you the rest of team RWBY?" someone asked. Yang turned around to see a uniformed soldier standing a few feet in front of Weiss and Blake.

"We are," Weiss said with authority.

The soldier nodded. "First officer Jet Bradford. Welcome to the Vytal. You will wait in a conference room until your team leader is out of surgery. Please follow me." Bradford turned on a heel and started walking out of the hanger. The group followed closely.

After a few hallways of silence, Yang asked what was on all their minds. "So how's Ruby?"

Bradford turned his head slightly, then stared back forward again. "From what we can tell, that rocket had a combined Burn Dust and shrapnel payload. The entire right side of her body had second- or third-degree burns, with many pieces of metal cutting in all over, particularly on her leg and arm." He threw a sideways glance at all. "It's a miracle either of you survived." Yang lowered her gaze to the floor, she didn't feel lucky, and she doubted Ruby did either. Still, almost anything beat being dead, which Ruby was for a while there.

"Γαμώτο τα πάντα. Οι Θεοί γαμώτο." Sakura cursed, quiet enough that Bradford wouldn't hear it, mainly because it was in Ancient Greek.

The first officer opened a door and ushered the group into the room. "Someone will be in here shortly to debrief you. If there are any updates on your team leader, you three will be the first to know." Bradford closed the door to the conference room, leaving them alone.

"What do you think Zach is doing?" Weiss asked.

"If I know him, and I do, then he's probably planting a Fury." Sakura said.

"Yeah, that sounds like him." Percy agreed with a chuckle.

"A Fury?"

"It's a foot-long bomb that has a blast radius of 1.3 kilometers and an explosive yield of about one megaton. In short, it's the closest thing there is to a nuclear grenade." Eyes went wide at that statement.

"You're damn right it is." Gregor said.

They all took seats around the table. Yang fought to keep her emotions under control, but she couldn't keep a few tears from escaping her eyes. "Yang, can you get anything out of Ruby?" Blake asked.

Yang shook her head. "I've been trying since we've stepped onto the ship. Her head's just too clouded. Maybe Aaron or Cerise could see through it, but I can't." She paused for a second. "How much do you two know about what happened to Ruby?"

"There were only a handful of security cameras around the base," Blake said, "one of them was in the prison."

"We saw the footage just as Zach slammed him against the wall," Weiss said, then shivered. "I don't understand how anyone can be so cruel to another person."

"They're the worst of humanity, the ones who get all the attention," Blake stated, with more than a little hate in her voice. "People like that are the reason…" she let that statement hang. All present knew what she was talking about, and none had any rebuttals.

"Although, I swear that I saw a pillar of blue light earlier, but it feels like it was just a dream." Weiss said. "Do you know anything about that?" she asked Yang and Gregor.

"Zach had to use Lost Ages." Gregor said, which resulted in all SPARTANs present staring at him.

"What happened?" Sakura said, her tone brokering no escape.

"O'Donnell pressed a button on his scroll, vich resulted in ze prisoners being electrocuted. By ze time zose of you in ze control room deactivated it, it vas too late, and Ruby had died." Weiss and Blake were shocked, but Gregor ignored that fact, "Cerise began to let out an anguished roar, but zen, a certain trio of old women who hate our guts appeared and slowed time around us to a crawl. Zey said zat it vasn't her time to go, and zat zey bent ze ancient laws enough to enable Zach to cast Lost Ages one time."

"Son of a bitch." Percy said. After that, the room went silent.

An hour passed with no one really talking. Half way through, Zach teleported aboard, only to be backhanded across his armored face by Sakura. Other than that, the most action the room saw was Weiss occasionally pacing the length of the table. Eventually though, the door opened, and Aaron stepped into the room. He was immediately mobbed the rest of his team. "How's Ruby?" Yang blurted out.

Aaron sighed and looked at the girls with sad eyes. "You're all going to want to sit down." Yang couldn't breathe until she sat down in the nearest chair. When someone opened with that, the news was never good. "You guys aren't going to sit down?" he asked Gray team.

"Our armor weighs half a ton each, these chairs ain't gonna support us." Momaw said.

"Alright then. The doctors determined what Ruby was poisoned with. Concentrated King Taijitu venom. It was enough to make her Aura ineffective, inhibit her mind, and dulled all her senses except pain. Luckily the doctors had the antidote on hand. The venom's effects should be completely gone in a few hours."

Yang breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was going right. Still, that couldn't be everything. She was about to ask further, but David beat her to it. "I hear a 'but' coming."

Aaron hesitated before speaking again. "There is only so much magic, and technology here can do. Some more experience healers would have been able to do more, but I'm not them. What the doctors here have couldn't do what was needed either. She was losing too much blood. We had to amputate them both." Yang felt her heart drop into her stomach. "To make things worse, a piece of metal embedded itself in Ruby's right eye. Luckily, it didn't go farther than that."

Yang held her head in her hands. "So Ruby is now missing two limbs and an eye?"

"Unfortunately, yes. When we were leaving the…operation room, one of the doctors said that they'll work on…machining her a new arm and leg right away."

"Ruby would take the bionics better than the rest of us," Blake commented.

"Yeah," Yang sighed. "She'll probably have a firearm built into at least one of them in a week."

"Probably?" Weiss scoffed. "Have you met your sister? I'd be surprised if it takes her three days." All four teammates shared a quick and quiet chuckle.

"I'd be willing to help her put one in." Nick said.

"_You're_ the power guy! _I'm_ the weapons guy! Not the other way around!" Zach said.

"I don't give a shit." Nick retorted, managing to lighten the mood just that little bit more.

"They said they could do the same for an eye," Aaron continued, "but I asked them to hold off for a while."

Yang turned on the newest member of the team. "Why would you do that?" Her anger started to rise yet again, but not quite to the point that she began to see red.

"I can regrow her eye."

Yang straightened in her chair. "You can what?"

"Most other body parts grow with age. Human eyes stay the same size through life. That makes it one of the easiest parts to regrow, despite the complexities inside. That's actually the last thing I was taught before Nalia and I were sent out."

"Why haven't you 'regrown' it then?" Blake asked, almost demanding.

"Like you said, she likes this stuff. I figured I'd give her the option." Yang nodded then stared at the floor, trying to come to terms with her sister's condition. "Right now, Ruby has a private room in the…medbay. I've been told that you'll be taken there after you're debriefed."

Aaron paused. "I'd stay longer, but I need to check on Cerise. The doctors here have no idea what they're doing with her." He left the room without saying another word.

Yang stayed hunched over for several minutes. Eventually she felt a hand fall on her shoulder. "Yang, Ruby will be fine," Blake soothed.

"She's strong," Weiss said. "She won't let this get her down."

Yang sighed. "Here's hoping." The door opened again, and a uniformed soldier walked in. "Well, let's get this over with."

* * *

POV: Ruby

Ruby slowly opened her eyes, then closed them almost immediately. The room was too bright for that time in the morning. The fact she had a massive headache didn't help either. She turned onto her left side and opened her eyes again, and her breath caught in her throat. Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Gray team were sitting on/standing near a few chairs directly across from her. The problem was, the room wasn't her dorm room, or the Dragonhouse.

Weiss looked up from her lap and locked eyes with Ruby. She blinked several times then elbowed both her other teammates, who apparently were asleep. Yang groaned awake and her eyes met Ruby's. She practically exploded out of her chair. "You're awake!" Yang gave her sister an awkward hug with Ruby still staying on the bed.

"Yes, I'm awake," Ruby mumbled. "What's so special about today? And where are we?"

Yang pulled her chair closer to Ruby's bed and sat back down. "We're on the Atlas cruiser _Vytal_, and I believe we're still above where you were being held."

Ruby messed up her face while she looked at her sister. "What?" Then the memories hit her. The smell, the chains, the sword. Her heart beat faster and she whipped her head around the room. She jerked her right hand up to her head to feel for the ear that was stapled on.

She didn't feel anything on her head. Then again, she didn't feel her arm at all. Ruby looked at her arm, or rather where her arm should be. The only part of her right arm there was a little stub past her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to sit up using her legs to push herself up, but only one leg responded. Fear started building up in her as she lifted her blankets with her remaining arm. Sure enough, her right leg didn't even extend to a knee.

Panicking now, Ruby blinked her eyes several times, but she only felt one eyelid moving. She moved her hand up to her right eye, and traced around any eyepatch. "There's nothing behind here, is there?" she whispered. Her teammates just shook their heads, their own eyes tearing up. Another thought struck her. "Cerise!" she said with her voice and mind.

_Ruby!_ came Cerise' immediate reply. Just the one word carried so much concern and happiness. _Are you alright? I haven't seen you since the beach!_

_I'm fine,_ Ruby said, and she let out most of her tension as she stared at the white ceiling. _Well, I'm alive. I'm missing an arm, a leg, and an eye._

Rage mixed in with Cerise' concern. _Those kidnappers are lucky they have soldiers guarding them, or else I would tear them limb from limb for what they did to you!_

Ruby turned her head in the rough direction she felt her dragon. _Cerise! Where is this coming from?_

_They stole your limbs. They nearly killed you! I have every right to do the same._

Ruby couldn't believe what her dragon was saying. _But they didn't. I'm alive. We don't kill people, especially for revenge._

Cerise huffed over their mental link. _What did you do when you found me on the cliff?_

_That's different! Grimm are pure evil._

_Those men aren't?!_ Cerise rage was growing by the second.

Ruby backed away slightly on her bed. _Cerise, please stop! You're scaring me!_

Ruby felt Cerise trying to calm herself down, through no small effort. _I'm sorry, but you'll need to live with the notion of killing in the future. You want to be a Huntress and help people. You are a Rider. There will be situations when you will have to take a life to save others._

_But that's not now, and never for revenge._

Cerise huffed one more time. _When it comes to your safety, I make no promises._ She pulled away from a direct conversation, but stayed in her Rider's mind to be with each other. That connection was enough for the moment.

Ruby was so focused on talking to Cerise, she didn't hear someone sobbing next to her. She turned her head and saw Yang in tears. "Ruby, I'm sorry," she said. "I tried to get you out of there, I tried to protect you from the blast, but I couldn't. It's my-"

"Thank you," Ruby interrupted.

Yang looked at Ruby in shock. Weiss and Blake wore similar expressions from where they sat. "What?" Yang asked.

"You got me out of that place. I'd rather be like this among family and friends than down there with those…monsters." Ruby shivered involuntarily.

"I tried my best to save you from it as well. If only I had been a secon-" Zach began, only to be cut off by Ruby.

"I'm alive, that's what matters."

"If ve're being honest, Ruby, you veren't for a time." Gregor said.

"What?"

"You died of electric shock. The only reason that you're here with us now is because the Fates bent the ancient laws enough to allow me to cast a spell that would reverse time everywhere, and I reversed it by two minutes, undoing your death." Zach said. After hearing that revelation, Ruby had begun visibly shaking, but managed to get it under control enough to continue having the conversation.

"…Lets come back to this later."

"Agreed. Or better yet, never."

"We're here too, Ruby," Weiss said, tilting her head toward Blake.

Ruby turned her head and smiled at her partner. "I said family, didn't I?" Weiss blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. The young Rider turned back to her sister. "Could you help me sit up?"

"Sure thing." Yang stood up and hooked her arms through Ruby's. She hoisted her sister up and leaned her back against the wall. "They're machining a new arm and leg for you right now. Both should be done in less than an hour."

"What about my eye?"

Yang hesitated. "Aaron said he could regrow your eye."

Ruby forgot to breathe for a second. "He can do that? Why hasn't he?"

Blake spoke up this time. "He said he wanted to give you a choice since you like technology so much."

Ruby nodded and started to think it over. _Cerise, what do you think I should do?_

_It's your decision, Ruby,_ Cerise said. _I can't make this one for you._

_You're no help,_ Ruby teased, then thought it over some more. In the end she shook her head. "I won't take what so many others don't get. I'll take the fake eye." Weiss nodded, then took out her scroll and pressed a few buttons on the screen. She hesitated for a few seconds, pressed one more button then placed her scroll on her lap. The heiress nodded at Yang.

"Ruby," Yang started, "what did they do to you in there?"

The young Rider froze up, then looked at the scroll on Weiss' lap. "You're recording this?" Ruby asked weakly.

Weiss slowly nodded. "Atlas wants testimony to use against the Nevermores. They figured you'd talk to us more than you'd talk to them."

"After this, you never have to speak about it again," Blake added.

Ruby hugged herself with her one arm and her eye started tearing up. The memories were coming back fast. They were hazy, and painful, but clear enough to know what was happening. Yang sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her sister. Cerise surrounded Ruby's mind with her own.

_People find that, despite how much it hurts to do so, talking to people about their issues really helps them in the long run._ Momaw said. _Even me with my being mute, however you want to take that statement._

"How long did they have me?" Ruby asked.

"About five hours," Yang said. "We left Beacon as soon as we heard your call for help. The Vytal joined in the search about halfway through."

Ruby nodded, then began her story. "Me and Cerise split up from Nalia after a Bullhead came up behind us. We found a few other Bullheads on the beach and saw people loading Faunus into the Bullheads. One of them saw us, and then everyone started shooting at us." Ruby paused for a second. "Dragon scales don't do anything to stop Dust rounds. We were shot out of the sky in seconds.

"We crashed on the beach, and were surrounded. They…electrocuted me, and hit my head with the butt of a rifle. They poked something into my neck, then everything gets hazy."

"King Taijitu venom," Yang said, a bit of her own venom sneaking into her voice.

"After that, they knocked me out, and I woke up in that…prison. A man came in later. I'm not sure exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines I was…going to be sold to the highest bidder." Yang's arm tightened around Ruby, and Weiss and Blake stiffened in their seats. Gray team's fists collectively clenched. Cerise hummed sadly in her Rider's mind. "That's not all. They were going to harvest Cerise for her scales, and if they weren't profitable…" Ruby shivered and lowered her head, "…if they weren't profitable they'd skin Cerise and sell it instead."

Cerise forced herself fully into Ruby's mind. _But they didn't,_ she said. _They didn't have the chance to touch one scale. Not one of them had the guts to come close._

_Then how'd they get you to that place?_ Ruby shot back.

_They got the venom in me to. It wore off quickly though. I wouldn't let them get close. _

"You haven't said how you got the cut on your arm and side," Yang said, "or the ear."

Ruby brought her attention back into the room. She tried to figure out how to tell her team what happened without revealing exactly how. Her throat constricted and she couldn't talk. She shook her head and looked at her lap. Yang pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head. "I think that's enough for a conviction. Say the word, we're done."

"And if it's not?" Ruby choked out. "After the man said that he was going to…skin Cerise, I managed to kick him. He didn't like that, and he used a sword to cut my arm. He tightened the chains after that." Ruby shook her head from side to side, trying to say, 'it didn't happen like that.' Yang held up her hand with her gedwëy ignasia, and Ruby nodded.

"Before the ear, he said something to me." Ruby hugged herself even tighter and leaned into Yang. Tears streamed down her face. She also clung onto Cerise mind as hard as she could. "He said if I resisted, he would send me home...piece by piece."

Yang quickly wrapped her other arm around Ruby. A dragon's roar could be heard through who knew how many bulkheads. _He said what?!_ Cerise screamed.

"It's okay, sis. You're here, and he won't be doing anything ever again." Yang rubbed Ruby's back as she spoke.

"I thought he was going to cut off my arm there." Ruby buried her face in Yang's shoulder.

"We're all here, Ruby. No one's going to hurt you." Yang pulled one arm away and wiped some of her own tears off her face. "What happened next?"

"Another man in a bloody lab coat came in with a metal box," Ruby continued. Yang tensed up at that part. "He took the ear out of the box, along with a staple gun."

"Please tell me they at least knocked you out for that," Blake said, horrified.

"Their sedative was a punch to the face, on the other side." Ruby shuddered as she felt the staples entering her head again.

"The cut on my side came right before Yang, Zach, and Gregor got there. It was the same guy as before. He was going to get another prisoner out of her chains. Apparently she was…sold. I was somehow able to get the gag out of my mouth, and I started yelling everything I could at him. He put the gag back in place and did something with the chains. Then he cut me again."

"Same fuck-head I slammed into the wall?" Zach asked. Ruby just nodded. "Well, I wouldn't worry about him, 'cause that fucker's dead. He took B312's knife to the throat." Ruby's eyes widened at the implication that Zach killed someone.

"What? Why?"

"He deserved, no, _needed_ to die. Now that he's dead, the world is a significantly better place." The rest of his team nodded in agreement.

Weiss picked up her scroll and stopped the recording. "It sounds like you went to hell and back," she said.

"Now you know why I'd rather be here than there," Ruby mumbled.

Yang looked back to where her chair originally was and picked something up off the ground. "Nalia found these while looking for you." Ruby's eyes widened at the sight. Crescent Rose sat in its travel form on top of her folded hood. "I'd help you put it on, but the doctors would just take it off for your next operation anyway."

"Where'd she find them?" Ruby's eyes were glued to the small red box on her hood, trying to find any damage.

"Crescent Rose was on the beach, and I believe she said your hood was in the ocean."

Ruby nodded, then looked around the room. "Where is Aaron anyway?"

"He's checking on the other Faunus," Blake said. "He hasn't stopped working since he got in the ship. I believe he might also be working on repairing your clothes."

"I think his exact wording was 'attempt' to repair," Yang said with a little chuckle. The door to the room opened and a doctor stepped in. "Well, looks like it's time, Ruby."

"Don't go too far," Ruby said as Yang helped her lay back down. "I may need help walking out of here."

"We'll be as close as they allow us," Weiss soothed. The eleven of them stood up and brought their three chairs with them out the door.

Before Yang left, she turned back and smiled at her sister. "You're going to make metal look good." With that, she left the room, leaving Ruby with the doctor. Shortly afterward, another doctor pushed in a cart with the new body parts on top.

"Okay Miss Rose," the first doctor said. "This operation should only last a couple of hours. When you wake up, you will have full control over your new arm, leg, and eye." He picked up a syringe off the cart, most likely containing anesthetic.

Ruby sighed as the doctor walked over to her side. "Let's get this over with." The doctor stuck the needle into Ruby's arm, and everything turned black.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron followed a soldier down the halls of the Vytal, trying to keep his exhaustion out of his face and walk. He was slowly approaching a full day of activity, and several hours of magic use to help with injuries on soldiers and Faunus alike. Still, he couldn't rest until everyone was back in Vale, safe from the horrors they endured.

The soldier turned around and pointed down a hallway. Aaron looked down the hall and saw three members of his team, and Gray team, sitting in the hall, Weiss and Yang looked like they were asleep. He walked slowly over to the girls, trying not to wake the two up. Blake looked up and locked eyes with Aaron. "How is she?" he asked.

As Blake's mouth opened, Yang snapped her eyes open and looked at Aaron. "She's taking it a lot better than I thought she would," she said. "I can't get anything out of her now though. Must be the anesthetic."

Aaron raised an eyebrow at Yang. "Ana what?"

"Basically, like getting punched in ze face by a SPARTAN, vith a lot less pain and death, and a lot more chemicals. Knocks you out for surgery and prevents pain. It shuts down ze brain's functions except zose needed to live." Gregor said.

Yang looked at the door directly in front of her. "Which it probably why I'm not getting anything out of her right now."

Aaron sent his mind into the room and searched for Ruby's mind. It was easier to latch on to than before, but there was almost nothing going on in there. "That's not natural," he said.

Yang huffed in amusement. "In case you haven't noticed a lot of the stuff we use isn't natural." She focused back on the door in front of her.

Blake shifted in her seat. "I don't think that she's in the best place mentally," she said. "No one comes out unchanged after what she's been through."

Aaron grimaced. "How bad was it?"

Blake pulled out a scroll from between her and Weiss. "You're going to want to listen to this to find out." Aaron took the scroll and played back the recording at low volume. He paid very close attention to everything Ruby said. His fingers tightened on the scroll when Ruby repeated what the monster told her. That explained Cerise' roar. Aaron threw a glance at Zach when the recording ended. He seemed to catch it, but ignored it. He had just killed a person. Aaron would have to keep an eye on him.

Aaron handed the scroll back to Blake and stared at the door. _Nalia, what do you think?_ he asked his dragon.

_I don't like it, _she said._ Her view on the world was so positive. I wonder how this will change her._

_The counselor will most likely need counseling,_ Aaron agreed. _I just hope it didn't destroy her._

A few minutes of silence passed between them. Eventually Nalia spoke up. _Something's happening out here_.

_What's going on?_

_All the transports are taking off and flying back to the Vytal. I'm thinking I should do the same._

_Be careful. I don't want you to be caught up in anything._ He leaned back against the wall and waited for the door to open up. Luckily, the wait wasn't too long. The door opened and a couple of doctors walked out of the room.

Yang quickly stood up and walked toward one of the doctors. He quickly held up a hand. "The operation was successful. She'll have full use of her new body parts when she wakes up, which should be in less than twenty minutes." Both doctors walked away, one of them pushing a metal cart.

"You have her clothes, right?" Yang asked.

Aaron removed the backpack he acquired while working through the ship and took out Ruby's now repaired clothes. "I did the best I could," he said. "I can only guarantee that there's no blood." He handed the clothes over to Yang.

Then, Zach put his right hand to the side of his helmet, and he seemed to be talking to someone. After a few seconds, he started laughing manically. "Prepare for one hell of a light show!" He said.

"What are you talking about?" Aaron asked. Zach simply pulled out a small device with a little lever on one side of it.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He shouted as he depressed the lever, followed by a brief but bright flash of light, and then another, longer but not as bright flash, and the biggest 'boom' Aaron had ever heard. Zach then proceeded to start laughing again.

"Zach, was that what I think it was?" Sakura asked.

"If by that you mean a Fury, then yes, it was." He said.

"I called it."

_Nalia, what happened?_ he asked.

Nalia didn't respond for several seconds. Her shock rolled through their mental link. _They…destroyed the building. The area is still dusty, but I don't think anything could have survived that blast. There's still heat rolling off the area, and a giant cloud is forming._

A whistle sounded through the hall, causing Weiss to finally stir from her sleep. "Attention all hands, this is the captain. Our mission is almost complete. We will escort the Faunus to Vale, then we'll be heading back to Atlas to drop off the Nevermores for trial. To those of you who have been separated from your families, we will have you on the ground in an hour."

"An hour?" Aaron said in disbelief. "How fast are these things?"

_I hope they don't mind if I land on the back,_ Nalia said. _My wings need to rest._

Soon, Aaron felt the ship move beneath his feet, not too different from being in the hold of a naval ship. Weiss shook herself awake and looked around. She focused up at Aaron. "When did you get here?" she asked.

"About a half hour ago," Aaron responded.

Weiss blinked a few times, then sighed and shook her head. "I need some sleep."

"We all do," Yang said as she opened the door to Ruby's room and froze in place. Her eyes glassed up as she stepped inside. The rest of the team followed. Aaron immediately understood why Yang was so hesitant to step inside. The right leg and arm of the Atlas body suit Ruby wore were rolled up past the knee and elbow, revealing new metal limbs. Her eyepatch was gone, and supposedly a new eye lay behind the eyelid. Still, even though Ruby would supposedly like the new limbs, it was a disturbing sight. They would always be a glaring reminder that Aaron failed at protecting one of his students.

The four uninjured teammates stood by their leader's side. Yang kept a hand on her sister's shoulder. They stood like that for several minutes, not saying anything. Ruby's eyes slowly opened, then closed in a flash. She groaned and rolled to the side. "Wakey, wakey, sleepy head," Yang said.

Ruby groaned again. "Five more minutes Yang."

"Hmm, not a chance. You've gotten more sleep than the rest of us tonight."

Ruby sighed and sat up. She rubbed her head with her good hand, then stopped. The metal arm rose off the bed and rested in front of Ruby's eyes. She turned it between front and back several times. She smirked and turned to Yang. "I think I may have an advantage in our fist fights now."

Yang laughed. "Don't count on it." Aaron could finally see Ruby's new eye. Physically, it looked identical to the other, but it lacked much of the emotion the other eye held. That was one downside Aaron didn't think about.

The youngest Rider turned to look at her new leg. She ran her natural hand along the metal limb. "It'll take some getting used to, but this will work." Her head shot up and turned to the wall. She didn't say anything until she whipped her head back to her team. "How long until I can get up and see Cerise?"

Yang set Ruby's clothes down on the edge of the bed. "How quickly can you get dressed?"

Ruby sunk her head between her shoulders and looked up at Aaron and majority of Gray team. "Quicker if there weren't guys in the room."

Aaron quickly turned around and left the room, followed by Gray team. In the hall, he saw the same soldier who escorted him from where the Faunus were being cared for. Aaron walked up to the man, feeling extremely out of his element. Back in Alagaësia, he could ask a soldier or other law enforcement for something, they would call in many reinforcements to get whatever task done quickly and efficiently. Here, though, he didn't know if the soldier would give him the time of day.

Still, he knew that no one on his team would be allowed anywhere on the ship without an escort. "Excuse me," Aaron said to the soldier, "we were wondering if we could get an escort to the hangar when our team leader is ready."

The soldier nodded. "I have been authorized to do so. How long will she take?"

"I don't think long." Aaron heard a door open up behind him. He turned around and saw Ruby, now back in her normal clothes, attempting to walk on her new leg. She wasn't very balanced, and would have fallen on her face if Yang hadn't caught her. Ruby sighed and threw her new arm across Yang's shoulders. Together they walked down the hall, with Blake and Weiss right behind.

"We good to go?" Ruby asked.

"I am," Aaron said. "I'm not sure about you though."

Ruby's eyes dropped and her head dipped down. "A new leg and anesthetic don't go well together."

The soldier cleared his throat. "If you would all follow me, I will escort you to the hangar." He turned around and started walking. The whole of team RWBY followed, with Gray team close behind.

"So Aaron," Ruby started, "if I remember this right, Yang said you pretty much took over while I was gone."

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "That's not a problem is it?" he asked quietly.

"You knew what you were doing," Yang said. "Well, at least you acted like it, which is more than the rest of us could say."

"Hey, I came up with the deployment locations for each of us." Sakura said indignantly.

"It's like Annabeth always said. 'Athena always has a plan.'" Percy commented.

The green Rider looked away. "I think I like following orders better than giving them."

There was a pause, then Ruby asked, "Why's that?"

Aaron shook his head. "Not here, not now."

Ruby looked like she was going to press further when they stepped through the door to the hangar. Cerise hummed from the other side. Ruby instantly locked eyes with her dragon. "Cerise!" she yelled as she removed her arm from around Yang. She awkwardly ran across the hangar floor toward her dragon, while Cerise moved slowly to close the distance. Ruby threw her arms around Cerise' neck, whether it was to stay standing or just a big hug, Aaron couldn't tell. The two of them collapsed on the floor together.

The rest of the team hung back and just watched the two. "When was the first time you knew Nalia was more than a pet?" Yang asked.

Aaron turned to the blonde. "What do you mean?"

She thought it over for a few seconds. "When did you know that Nalia meant more to you than a normal animal?"

Aaron smiled. "It was when Nalia spoke for the first time. She had me when she said my name. Hopefully that's the way you learn it."

Yang nodded, then looked back at Ruby and Cerise. Aaron looked out of the hanger and just the pitch black of night and a few stars. The day had gone by quickly, and he felt like he used two days' worth of energy in only a few hours. He was looking forward to getting some sleep. It seemed his teammates were in a similar state, as Weiss and Blake yawned one after the other. Yang smirked and looked at Blake. "Need a cat nap over there?" she asked.

Blake just glared back. "You're tired, aren't you?"

Yang's response was holding up to fingers spread about an inch apart. "A little bit." From there, the conversation went downhill. The length and weight of the day finally caught up from the group, minus Gray team, who were used to staying up for weeks at a time, and fighting for just as long. Despite that, they were right there with everyone else, laughing with them at even normal things that the others said. Even Blake wasn't immune to this. Aaron was in the process of recovering from one of Yang's puns when he looked up at Ruby and Cerise. Both were staring back with smiles on their faces.

Aaron was about to wave the two of them over when a noise sounded in the hanger. "Attention, we are now approaching Vale. Please prepare to disembark." Soldiers started to move around the hanger. One of them walked over to the larger group of huntsmen in training.

"We have a transport ready to take you down to Beacon," she said. "It will be ready to take off whenever you are."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, I think my team and I will take our Pelican. We need to get it off of here anyway." Zach said.

"We figured as much."

Weiss nodded. "Lead the way," she said in a tired yet authoritative voice. Team RWBY, now plus one, moved toward one of three Bullheads in the hanger. Aaron heard several metal footsteps behind him. He turned to see Ruby limp-running in his direction. She tripped at the last second and Aaron barely caught her before she hit the floor.

"Why aren't you flying back with Cerise?" he asked as he threw Ruby's metal arm over his shoulders. He had to bend his knees to get to her height though.

"She doesn't think she can carry me right now," Ruby panted. "Better safe than sorry."

"Nalia wouldn't let you fall far." Still, the two of them walked to the Bullhead slowly. Yang helped her sister up when they got there. The side doors closed as soon as Aaron boarded. Soon after, he felt the Bullhead start moving, and it picked up speed quickly. Ruby was the only one sitting down, the rest holding onto the bars above their heads.

"Looks like Halcyon is waiting for us outside the Dragonhouse," Yang said.

"He's not going to pounce on you like Cerise does for Ruby, is he?" Blake asked. Ruby just chuckled.

Yang shrugged. "Possibly. They are brother and sister."

Weiss sighed. "Knowing how your family is, I'd be surprised if he doesn't." Everyone laughed, probably more than they should have. Aaron could remember only one other time being that tired, and that was after several days straight of flying with Nalia and some other pairs. That degenerated into nonsense talk as well.

Soon Aaron felt the Bullhead slow down and the doors opened. Halcyon sat right outside the main door of the Dragonhouse. He didn't move until all members of team RWBY stepped off the transport. The transport flew off and the two larger dragons landed soon after. Ruby slung her metal arm over Cerise' neck and the two walked toward the Dragonhouse. Just then, the Pelican landed, and its passengers and pilot got off, before it disappeared, and Gray team joined up with team RWBY.

Instead of running toward Yang, Halcyon ran to Ruby and Cerise. He looked right at Ruby's metal limbs and growled. As the red pair kept walking, Halcyon took a position by Ruby's side, glancing from side to side, a snarl on his face. His body followed the curve of one of Ruby's legs. "I think Halcyon's a little protective," Ruby called back to Yang.

"He gets that from me," the blonde Rider said as she caught up with her dragon. She leaned down and scratched Halcyon's head. He leaned into it, but did not stop in his search.

Weiss yawned long and loud. "Well, I guess we'll see you all in the morning."

Ruby and Cerise stopped walking, and Ruby turned back to look at Weiss and Blake. "Do you guys have to go back to the dorm tonight?" she asked, eyes pleading. "We don't have any extra bedding or couches, but…" Ruby didn't finish her thought.

Weiss and Blake exchanged a look. "Concrete actually sounds comfortable right now," Blake said.

"I think I have some tarp in one of Nalia's saddlebags," Aaron said. "It's not much, but you wouldn't be sleeping on the floor."

"Thank you," Blake sighed, before she yawned herself. Both Weiss and she followed Cerise into the now open building.

"Mind if we join you? We can just sleep in our armor, which is actually pretty comfortable." Sakura said.

"We wouldn't need any tarp to sleep on, considering that we've slept on piles of rubble before." Zach added.

"I'm ok with it, what about you guys?" Ruby said, getting a chorus of affirmations in response.

Aaron hopped onto Nalia's saddle from the ground and started rummaging through the saddlebags. _Ruby isn't okay, is she?_ the green dragon asked.

_No_, Aaron sighed. _We've seen this too many times. The question isn't if she'll break, but when._

* * *

**Happy Mother's Day.**


	19. F

**In **_**A Rose's Scales**_**, pokeman1280 did not give Silver Eyed Warriors any ability related to their eyes. I, however, am going to give Silver Eyed Warriors a unique ability. In fact, it has already popped up in chapter 11, ANCR.**

**Also, yes, I know that it is technically chapter 12, not chapter 11, but I don't really count my OC info page as a chapter.**

* * *

Wednesday, September 2

POV: Ruby

Ruby snuck through the forest after her prey. She had tracked the kidnapper for several miles. Overhead, Cerise scouted for more of them. They were so close to finding the Nevermore base. The man Ruby followed was heading in that direction.

A building appeared through the gap in the trees. The man entered the building and disappeared behind a door. _This is the place, Cerise,_ Ruby told her dragon.

The red dragon rumbled her agreement. _Get in there and do what you can,_ she said. Ruby nodded with her head and mind. She ran toward the door and placed a hand on Crescent Rose, ready to draw her weapon at a moment's notice. The Rider opened the door and stepped inside.

Ruby gasped as she entered the room. All around her lie dead Faunus, all chained to the wall. Some had slits across their necks, others had numerous cuts across their bodies. As Ruby looked around the room, her eyes rested on a young cat Faunus girl who looked awfully familiar. The corpse opened her eyelids, revealing the tortured orbs behind. Her lips moved. "Why?" she asked.

The young Rider brought a hand to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I…I wasn't fast enough." The corpse closed her eyelids and returned to being dead.

Footsteps caught Ruby's attention. She looked up and saw the man she had been chasing for who knew how long. The Boss of the Nevermores. Ruby moved bring up Crescent Rose, but something caught her arm. She glanced down at her hand and saw it was chained to the wall. Another thing, a large tear cut her sleeve in half. She saw bloody and inflamed skin underneath. She snapped her head to the other side and saw much the same thing. Pain on her right side screamed for attention. Something flopped into her right eye.

Panic overtook Ruby as the Boss approached with an evil smile on his face, and a combat knife in hand. _Cerise! I need help now!_ There was no response. _Cerise, where are you?_

The Boss stuck out a hand and grabbed Ruby's neck. "Did you know you have three ears?" He squeezed Ruby's neck. "Normal people only have two. Let's fix that, shall we?"

Ruby screamed, and everything turned black. The black slowly faded to silver, as Ruby found herself in a hallway that looked to be made of a strange silver metal, with blue lights lining the walls. The next thing she noticed was several people in strange, olive green military armor, with one person in a white officer's uniform, standing in front of a door, as if preparing to breach it. Ruby managed to stop screaming right as she noticed them, but they didn't seem to notice her.

Then, the man in the officer's uniform spoke up, "Right, let's get this door open."

Another solider spoke up in response, "I'll try, Sir. But looks like the Covenant worked pretty hard to lock it down."

The officer pointed to him and nearly yelled, "Just do it, son."

"Yes, Sir." The solider closest to the door then began to do something on a panel of some kind. After a few seconds, the door opened, and all of them aimed their weapons into the doorway.

The room on the other side was made of the same material as the hallway, but was somewhat box shaped, with several pillars connecting the celling to the floor, more doors on several of the walls, and a strange structure jutting up in the center of the room.

The solider that opened the door motioned for the rest of the squad to move forward, and one by one, they entered the room, which had a strange stain on the floor near the door. As the second one entered, Ruby followed, curious as to what was going on despite everything about the situation telling her not to. The soldiers were looking all around, as if expecting a threat to make itself known at any moment.

"I got a bad feeling about this." One of the soldiers, a black male with a simple cap instead of a helmet on his head, said.

The officer replied with, "Boy, you always got a bad feeling about something."

Another voice suddenly sounded out from each of the men, likely from some kind of comms, "Captain? Sargent? -you hear me?"

The black one put his hand to his ear and said, "What's going on soldier?"

"We got contacts-lots of 'em! But they're not Covenant- just tearing through us! -No! No!" Those last words sent a chill up Ruby's spine as she attempted to remember where she had heard the term 'Covenant' from before.

"Corporal? Do you copy, over?" No response. "Mendoza, get your ass back up to second squad's position and find out what the hell is going on."

Another soldier, presumably Mendoza, said, "But-"

"I don't have time for your lip, soldier! I gave you an order!"

"But Sarge, listen!" There was a strange scratching type noise present in the background.

"What is that?"

"Where's that coming from, Mendoza?" Another solider asked.

"Everywhere, I don't-" Mendoza started, but then cut himself off to say, "There. Mira!" as he pointed to a nearby door, which then promptly blew outwards.

The soldiers looked around, when suddenly, one of them started screaming as something tan had attached itself to his face. "Get it out! Get-it-out!"

"Hold still! Hold still!" another soldier said as he attempted to remove it. After a second, he was met with success as he managed to remove the bulbous object, revealing it to have several tentacles with red, pine needle like protrusions on the ends of them.

"Let 'em have it!" The Sarge said.

The soldier holding it grunted as he struggled with it, the creature attempting to latch onto his face now, only for more of the creatures to appear from behind them as the other soldiers and even the officer began to open fire.

"Sargent, we're surrounded!"

"God damn it, Jenkins! Fire your weapon!"

"There are too many, Sarge!"

"Don't even think about it, Marine!"

"Aur- this is loco!" Mendoza said as he began to run away.

"Get back here, Marine! That's an order!" The officer said, as the other soldiers began to be overwhelmed.

One of the creatures managed get to Jenkins, the one that Ruby followed into the room, and proceed to horrendously mutate and mutilate his body, making him turn on his own comrades. In the process, it also succeeded at getting Ruby to want to throw up. The scene was then replaced with blackness, as a deep, gravelly voice called out to her and said, "What our kin failed to do to Earth, we will do to Remnant." At that, Ruby started hyperventilating and looking around frantically, only to end up screaming at what she saw. Thousands of mutated and mutilated human and faunus, along with a trio of dragons. And at the front of them all, she saw herself, with her head barely connected to her neck and hanging limply, with something else having taken its place. She quickly turned away from them and was met with blackness once again.

The blackness, however, was quickly replaced by a red curtain. She sat up, but still she screamed. The curtain raised and Ruby saw she was in a warehouse of some kind. For whatever reason, she had a red heart rate monitor in the upper right corner of her vision. She stopped screaming and quickly looked around for an exit.

Before she could move, someone put hands on both her shoulders. "Ruby! Snap out of it!" a voice said.

Ruby clenched her eyes and started flailing her arms at her attacker. "Get off of me! Get off of me! Get off of me!" she repeated over and over.

"Ruby! It's me! Yang!" Ruby slowed her flailing as she recognized the name and voice. She opened her eyes and looked right at her big sister. Tears started to roll down the younger sister's cheeks. Ruby whimpered once, then threw her arms around Yang and began sobbing intensely. Yang returned the hug and Cerise sent comforting thoughts, but it was not nearly enough. "Ruby, it's okay. It was just a dream."

The younger sister kept sobbing for several minutes before she could talk again. "But it wasn't a dream," she said. "It was real. I lived it. He was torturing me. They were going to _kill_ Cerise! And… there was something else." Just thinking about _it_ made her throw up in her mouth a little, as she barely managed to keep from completely throwing up.

Cerise hummed and Ruby felt her dragon's snout against her forehead. _They wouldn't kill me,_ the red dragon said. _Scales regrow, and Nalia says dragon scales are extremely valuable in Alagaësia, I'm sure they're even more so here._

Ruby opened her watery eyes and locked hers with her dragon's. _What if they aren't?_ she asked her dragon._ The scales on your leg should be fully regrown by now. What if your scales can never grow back?_

Cerise' wings drooped. _We don't need to worry about what ifs. We are free and alive. _She once again pressed her snout against her Rider's head. _We are safe here._

"You said that there was something else, and then you seemed to have to fight the urge to throw up. If you're ok with it, do you think you can describe it?" Zach, no _Sephiroth_ asked, Zach's uncovered irises' now white coloration and the more comforting voice telling Ruby who was speaking.

"Maybe later, after I've been able to comprehend what _it_ was."

"Fair enough." Zach said, his irises returning to their normal silver color.

The intensity of Ruby's sobbing lessened, but it didn't stop. Yang gently rubbed her sister's back like she used to. Ruby felt someone else hug her from behind, then saw Weiss's white sleeves wrapped around Yang's and her body. "You don't have to go through this alone Ruby," the heiress said. "We're with you all the way."

Soon after, Blake entered Ruby's vision, and she wrapped her arms around those already on the floor. "I can't pretend to know what you went through in there," she said, "but you saved all those Faunus that way. I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to you for going in there like that."

Ruby slowly melted into her teammates' arms. One more set joined, these ones clad in green. The young Rider turned her head to see Aaron had joined the group hug. He didn't say anything and the expression on his face said that he wasn't exactly comfortable, but he was still there.

Two golden wings enveloped the biped members of team RWBY. Halcyon just hummed happily, most likely because he couldn't speak yet. Cerise wrapped her long neck around the group, and ended up looking Ruby right in the eyes. Even Nalia got involved. She lay down across from Cerise and draped one massive wing over them all.

Ruby once again buried her head in her sister's shoulder. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you all." She stayed in that position for a while, the stream of tears more controlled. She was literally surrounded by her friends, her family. They all stayed in their respective positions, not saying anything, just being there. After who knew how long, Ruby felt herself falling back asleep. She hesitantly let it happen, hoping the time among her family would at least dull the nightmares.

* * *

POV: Yang

Eventually, Yang heard Ruby's breathing slow down to an easy pace. She gently brushed against her sister's mind and her suspicion was proven correct. _She's asleep,_ Yang told everyone else. The large group hug slowly broke apart, soon leaving only the sisters together. Yang slowly brought Ruby's head down onto her dog pillow.

Cerise snaked her own head beside Ruby's. She looked up at Yang. _This can't happen again tonight,_ she said.

_Well, yeah,_ Yang said back, unsure of herself, _but how?_

_If she dreams, we make sure it stays away from all that._

Yang looked at Cerise nervously. _Are you saying we go into her head and prevent it ourselves?_ The red dragon simply nodded._ Isn't that a little invasive? I don't even know if I can do that, or of its possible._

_I don't know, but I can't watch and feel her suffer through another one of those._ Cerise moved her head right next to Ruby's.

Yang bit her lip. Aaron explained before that a person's mind is their last bastion of privacy. Going that deep into Ruby's head would definitely be an extreme intrusion. Still, Yang didn't want to see her little sister freak out like that again. That was the worst reaction yet. Eventually, she sighed. _Alright, but if she gets angry, I'm pinning this on you._

Cerise blinked slowly. _I will take that._ Yang turned around and walked back to the spot Halcyon picked for the night, but stopped halfway there. She looked back at Ruby and bit her lip. When they were kids, Ruby crawled into Yang's bed whenever there was a bad storm. That always calmed her down before. Would it work now?

Yang decided to bite the bullet. She returned to Ruby's side and laid down next to her. Cerise didn't protest. Halcyon also approached and stretched a leg out for Yang to use as a pillow. Yang curled an arm around Ruby's head and pulled her close. Instantly, Ruby picked her head up and rested it on Yang's shoulder. Her feet pushed her up as well. Yang thought she woke up Ruby, but she was still asleep. After all this time, it was still instinct for Ruby. Yang tilted her head forward and touched her forehead to Ruby's. _Please don't hate me Ruby,_ she thought. _I'm doing this for you. _Yang pulled her head back and rested it on Halcyon's leg. Halcyon rested a wing over both sisters. She closed her eyes and stretched her mind out to her sister's. Ruby would _not_ have another one of those nightmares tonight.

* * *

Thursday, September 3

POV: Ruby

Ruby slowly opened her eyes and saw she was staring right at one of Cerise' closed eyelids. Ruby looked to the side and saw she had both her arms wrapped around her dragon's neck. She did not remember doing that in the night. Still, there were worse things that could have happened. She rubbed her forehead against the side of Cerise face, somehow not waking the dragon.

Her pillow also felt weird, kind of hard and lumpy. Ruby looked down and saw one of Yang's arms wrapped around her. She turned her head around completely and saw a lot of blonde hair, the back of Yang's head. When did that happen? Also, when did she start using one of Halcyon's wings as a blanket? Still, she had to admit she was comfortable.

Ruby started to bring her arms back to herself, but her new one caught on a scale. That woke Cerise up in a hurry, and she groaned. "Sorry," Ruby apologized. She managed to pull her arm back to herself. The offending section of arm was just a small overhang allowing for movement on the underside of the elbow.

There wasn't any damage, but Ruby still got depressed. She didn't feel the snag on her elbow, but on the stub of her arm where metal met skin. It would have hurt, but it would have been nice to feel _something_. Ruby tapped on her metal leg with her metal arm, and again, only felt vibrations in the connected areas. Her shoulders slumped, and a single tear left her good eye. Cerise hummed sadly and once again nudged her snout against Ruby's face. _You'll be fine,_ the dragon soothed. _At least you won't be able to feel pain there._

_Or anything else,_ Ruby thought glumly. _Not rain, not blankets, not anything. You don't really know how much you appreciate feeling things until you can't._ Cerise hummed again and placed her head on her Rider's lap. Ruby ran her good hand over Cerise' head.

After about a minute of petting Cerise in silence, Ruby looked around the Dragonhouse. Of course, Yang and Halcyon were right there with her. Nalia sprawled out in her normal spot, but her position said Aaron couldn't be under one of her wings like usual. Ruby turned her head to look behind Cerise and saw Blake sleeping on a tarp next to the wall. There was no sign of Weiss or Gray team.

Yang moaned and she turned her head. Her eyes opened and immediately locked with Ruby's. "Morning Ruby," she said. "Sleep well?"

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Second half anyway. Best I've had in weeks." She paused as she remembered some strange things that happened in her dreams, like Yang being there the whole time. "Did you have something to do with that?"

Yang froze, then put a hand behind her neck. "I couldn't bear seeing you go through another one of those fits."

The younger sister smiled at the older. She knew Yang only meant to help, not intrude. "Don't worry about it. Just don't tell anyone what you saw."

Yang nodded. "It never even crossed my mind." She pulled Ruby into a tight hug. Halcyon stood up and walked around so he could nuzzle Ruby's cheek. Yang looked up and out one of the windows. "You got the time?"

Ruby sat up and searched her pockets for her Scroll, if she even had it anymore. As her fingers came up empty, some blue numbers appeared in the upper right corner of her vision. "A little after noon, apparently." She shook her head. "Is there an instruction manual for this thing?" Sure enough, an envelope's outline appeared directly underneath the time. It opened and an instruction manual covered most of the right side of her vision. Ruby gave a full arm shrug as the intrusive page stayed put.

"You okay Ruby?" Yang asked after a few seconds.

Ruby raised her right arm and tapped right beside her eye once. She immediately regretted it, as her new metal fingers moved faster than she wanted them to and hit at least ten times harder than intended. "Ow!" she yelled as she clenched her eye. She rubbed that side of her face with her good hand. "Apparently my eye can act like a scroll." She opened her eye, and the manual disappeared.

"Sounds like you're tuning into Cybercop," Yang quipped.

"Only there's a little more to me than there is to him." Ruby stood up slowly and tested her balance on her new leg. She didn't notice it before, but her tights were extremely baggy on that leg. As she took a step, a small prick of pain shot up what was left of her right leg. She stumbled a bit, but Cerise was right there to catch her.

By that point, Blake was staring at the red pair through half open eyes. "How you doing this morning?" she asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Better than last night, but then again, that's not hard." Cerise and she took a few more tentative steps, the pain in her leg decreasing with each footfall. "You wouldn't know what happened to Weiss or Gray team, would you?"

"I think they left around seven-thirty. Weiss and Gray team were going to classes while Aaron said he had something to do in the city."

Ruby froze in place. "Classes! We're slept through both!"

"Relax, Ruby," Yang said. "I'm sure professors Port and Oobleck would be understanding on why we missed."

"Do they know?" Ruby was getting worried again.

Blake and Yang exchanged a quick glance. "We are students, and you were injured," Blake said. "The soldier who debriefed us said they were obligated to inform Ozpin."

Ruby's head sunk between her shoulders. "I take it dad knows too?" she asked Yang.

"If he doesn't, he will soon." Yang crossed her arms. "That couldn't have been a fun call to get late at night."

"Note to self: call dad." The note appeared in the top right of Ruby's vision. She chuckled a little. "Well, at least I won't forget now."

The human-sized door to the Dragonhouse opened and the two missing team members and Gray team entered, Weiss and Gray team wearing their school uniforms, Aaron in his normal clothes. Nalia finally showed signs of life; she yawned, stretched, and looked at the new arrivals. "Afternoon, everyone," Aaron called. Ruby waved, and started making her way back toward the center of the Dragonhouse, Cerise right by her side.

All members of team RWBY met up in the middle of the building. Aaron held a bag of something, but there was no business name on the bag. "How you holding up?" Weiss asked Ruby.

The youngest Rider rolled her eyes at have to answer the same question for a third time. "I'm just testing out my new leg. I don't want to be stumbling around in public." Weiss just nodded.

"So apparently we made the news last night," Aaron said, taking his scroll out of his pocket with his free hand. "Well, they didn't call us out specifically, but they definitely have our story out." He broke the circle and walked toward the projector. Nalia met him there and nudged him with her snout.

"So Weiss," Ruby started, "what did we miss in class today?"

"Nothing terribly important," Weiss responded. "Professor Oobleck just had a review session for the test next Tuesday, and Professor Port, well, he claims to have ripped an Ursa apart with his bare hands."

"Come on, you always find some meaning behind his stories," Yang chipped in.

Weiss shook her head. "Not this time. Not sure if it's because I was tired, or he really was just boasting."

"Anything from that story that he would put on a test?" Blake asked.

Weiss' eyes narrowed in concentration. "Maybe how long it takes to physically rip an Ursa apart. Other than that, no."

"For him, it took about two and a half minutes. For one of us, it would probably take like three seconds at most." Percy said.

"Ve are also magical, super powered, super soldiers, dummkopf." Gregor retorted, only to receive the middle finger, courtesy of Percy. "Do you vant me to cut zat sing off?"

"Do it, and Riptide will find its way into your neck."

"Enough!" Zach said in a demonic tone of voice, indicating that it was actually Maliki that was speaking. Well, that and the fact that his irises were black now. They soon returned to normal, however. "Thank you."

"I think I've got it," Aaron called. Ruby looked up and saw the VNN homepage projected on the wall. The main headline read 'Atlas Destroys Criminal Organization's Complex.'

The screen changed and a recording of the news broadcast filled the wall. Lisa Lavender started speaking. "Late last night, the Atlas military launched an assault on a building controlled by the Nevermore Cartel. The cruiser _Vytal_ received the location from a Huntsman infiltration team around midday yesterday." The image changed to an aerial view of the building with several transports on the ground with several places on it burning or blown apart. Ruby's head sunk between her shoulders as she looked at the building she was tortured in. Cerise hummed sadly as she settled down beside her Rider.

"The military reports the death of one of the heads of the Cartel, Granite O'Donnell." Ruby didn't hear what was said next, as she looked at the face of the man who tortured her. She took a few small steps backward and nearly tripped over Cerise' tail. Aaron apparently saw this and skipped ahead in the recording to after the man was off screen.

Lisa continued. "The raid on the facility freed eleven Faunus captives and one member of the infiltration team. The ages of said captives ranged from five to sixteen, not including the captured Huntsman. Soldiers also secured unconfirmed amounts of various narcotics."

"Five?" Ruby mumbled. That little lion Faunus girl that almost never stopped crying?

"Unfortunately this attack was not without loss. Five soldiers lost their lives in the fighting, and twelve more were injured." Aaron shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Nalia looked at her Rider, and something unheard passed between them.

"All remaining soldiers were evacuated from the facility, and then the building was destroyed using an experimental device.." Once again, the projection turned to an aerial view of the building, this time at night. All of a sudden, a bright flash appeared, followed by another dimmer but longer flash as a gargantuan explosion with a mushroom shaped cloud formed above the site, destroying everything.

Ruby sighed in relief and leaned on Cerise. _At least no one else will be tortured in there,_ she told her dragon.

A hand fell on Ruby's shoulder. She looked up to see Yang's concerned eyes staring right back. "You going to be okay?" she asked.

"Let's just put this behind us as soon as possible," Ruby said while hugging herself.

Blake sighed, then said, "I am perfectly fine with that."

"Oh, Ruby, you got something in the mail." Weiss said, changing the subject. She reached into her bag and removed a white envelope. Ruby took it and read the return address.

"Aqua Calrow?" she said confused. Then it hit her. "Violet?" Cerise perked up at that revelation.

"Who's Violet?" Yang asked, thoroughly confused.

"She's the first Faunus me and Aaron found." Ruby opened the envelope using a finger and took out what was inside. She gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand. It was a completely hand drawn card. A sun wearing sunglasses sat in the top right corner. The background was what Ruby assumed to be the city of Vale. Bottom center, two figures stood, one with red hair, the other with little ears sticking out the top of her head. The words 'Tank you!' were written in large letters just off dead center of the card.

Ruby opened the card and saw more of the same. Instead of Vale, the CCT tower in the center of Beacon rose up the crease of the page. A green dragon flew on the top right corner of the page, with another stick figure on its back. On the ground, the same two figures from the front were holding scythes matching their own colors. Two dragons also were also on the ground, one red, one purple. In the center were the words 'Wen i grow up, i want to be just lik you.'

"Hey, Remnant to Ruby, you okay?" Ruby looked up at Yang with a large smile on her face. Her throat was too constricted to say anything, so she just nodded and handed over the card. Yang took it, and almost immediately a smile formed on her face. "I'd say you have a fan for life here, sis." Yang passed the card over to Weiss, then crushed her sister in a hug.

"I still need to breathe here," Ruby choked out. Yang released her sister, and Ruby took a few seconds to catch her breath. "How'd they get my mailing address anyway?"

"Your face and name were all over the news for a few days," Weiss said after handing the card over to Blake. "They might have contacted Ozpin to get it."

"Why would Ozpin give away a student's address to anyone?" Aaron asked, more than a little incredulous.

Ruby shrugged. "Well, they aren't exactly media. He's smart enough to make a connection." Suddenly, her stomach growled loud and long.

Yang looked like she was about to laugh, then her face turned a complete one-eighty. "When was the last time you really had something to eat?" she asked completely serious.

"Not since breakfast yesterday." Ruby covered her stomach and blushed slightly. Even though she had every right to be hungry after what she'd been through, it still was a little embarrassing.

"I think I may have something to help with that," Aaron said as he reached into the bag he carried. He pulled out a colored box and Ruby couldn't help but laugh.

"Is that why you went into the city?" she asked as Aaron handed over the box of cookies.

"Well, you seem to like these, and after yesterday, you deserve them."

_After you eat some healthier food, of course,_ Cerise chimed in.

Ruby turned to look her dragon in the eye. "_You_ haven't eaten for two days. I expect you to fix that when the rest of us are eating."

"I'll pick something up for you from the cafeteria, Ruby," Yang said and she started walking toward the door.

"Why would you do that? I'm going with you."

Yang turned back, skepticism evident on her face. "You sure you want to do that? You were stumbling around just a few minutes ago."

"I'm _fine_ Yang. If I'm not, someone will catch me."

Blake shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Are you sure you want people to know about…" She let her thought hang.

Ruby blinked, then looked at her metal hand. People would find out eventually, most likely in Goodwitch's sparring class, but that day wasn't today. "Did we keep my gloves?" she asked Cerise.

The red dragon took a few steps forward stopping with the saddlebags right by Ruby's right arm. _They should be in one of these._ Ruby looked through two of the bags before she found the black gloves. She hesitated before she put them on. The last time she wore them, they were covered in Cerise' blood. _That was a long time ago,_ Cerise soothed.

Ruby turned back to her dragon._ It hasn't even been a month._

_Don't worry. I'm fine. _Ruby stole a glance at Cerise leg injury before the dragon hid it from view. The Rider sighed then put her gloves on.

"Well, if we're going to go, let's go!" Yang said, back in her regular voice. Ruby quickly took her place beside her sister, with their dragons on either side. Weiss and Blake were right behind, and Aaron and Gray team brought up the rear. Nalia took flight right as she left the Dragonhouse. Throughout the walk to the cafeteria, Ruby tried her best to walk normally, but the awkwardness from walking on an unfamiliar leg and the occasional spike of pain prevented her from doing so. Luckily, the students walking around didn't notice. Still, Ruby saw every time her sleeve flapped more than it should have in the wind. The worst part was she still couldn't feel it.

Team RWBY and Gray team arrived at the cafeteria with no one trying to stop them. Cerise and Halcyon nudged their respective Riders, then took off themselves. The bipeds of the group entered the building and headed for the serving line. Ruby subconsciously scanned the room to see how many people were around. Luckily there weren't many students eating at that time, and team CRDL was nowhere to be found. The members of team CFVY were the only ones Ruby recognized in the room.

Ruby picked up a tray, and she could only think about not accidentally breaking it with her new hand. It was plastic, but it still could break. She picked the table closest to the end of the line, so she didn't have to walk too far to quickly get back in line. The rest of the group sat down shortly after.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, everyone focusing on eating. Apparently everyone was hungry after the previous day. "So Aaron," Yang finally said, "you've been here a few weeks, what's your favorite thing that Remnant has to offer that your place can't?"

"That's easy, air conditioning," Aaron said between bites. "I can take the cold just fine, I just can't stand when it gets hot. Nalia will tell you, I'm not the most pleasant person when I'm overheated."

"I know what you mean," Weiss agreed. "I can't stand the heat either."

"Says the one from the frozen tundra of Atlas," Yang snickered. Weiss glared at her teammate.

_You two ain't the only ones._ Ponda spoke up, signing it as well to keep from drawing too much attention. _And I'm from bloody Australia._

"One, you're a son of Hades, whose Roman form is Pluto, the same name as the celestial body that's cold and dark in the Sol system. Two, you're from way south in Australia, which means that you didn't get too much hot weather. And three, what have we told you about using the term 'bloody' around here?" Sakura said, her Boston accent shining through as always.

_Touché._ Ponda replied. _Also, don't even get me started on that bloody tangent. I've told you a thousand times that it's just how I speak. I can't just stop using the term when I've been using it this bloody long. Kind of like Zach and the F-Bomb._

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" Zach exclaimed.

"Too late now." David said.

"Damnit. Ponda, you will regret this."

_Oh, bloody hell._

"Don't dragons like it hot?" Ruby asked.

"They prefer it, but they get along just fine in the mountains. Though I will say, I've never seen Nalia happier than when she's in the Hadarac Desert."

"Then I guess me and Cerise will have to go to Vacuo some time." Ruby returned her attention to the pizza in front of her.

About a minute passed before someone else spoke. "Hey, there you guys are." Ruby looked up and saw team JNPR making their way over to the table. Jaune waved with one hand while holding his food tray with the other. "I was wondering what happened to the rest of you."

"Hey Jaune," Ruby waved back with her good hand. "Yesterday was…unexpectedly busy."

"Busy enough to miss the egg meeting?" Nora asked, sounding extremely disappointed.

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. We didn't get back until well after dark."

"Well that explains why Weiss was so sleepy in class today." Nora's voice went back to its normal self.

"So what happened yesterday?" Ren asked.

"Family emergency," Ruby said, almost too quickly. "Dad had an accident back home and was in the hospital." Jaune's and Nora's shocked reactions were expected, but Ren and Pyrrha looked unconvinced.

"He nearly lost an arm believe it or not," Yang continued, picking up on Ruby's lie. Ruby could tell Yang was holding back a wince. "He's fine now. Aaron was able to take care of what the doctors couldn't."

Aaron shrugged. "I do what I can."

Jaune sighed. "Well then, I'm glad he's okay." Nora nodded her agreement. "But what about you guys?" Jaune asked, looking at Gray team.

Zach sighed, and said, "something dangerous from our home popped up and, as the only ones who know how to dispose of it, we had to deal with it."

"Almost blew up in our faces when _someone_ decided to try and simply overload it, _David_." Sakura said, looking right at him.

"Hey, I was trying to use Armor Lock's E.M.P. function to short it out, not overload it." David retorted. "Besides, it's not like you were helping."

"That's because 1, it's not my expertise. I can dismantle a gun and put it back together, but a Fury is a different story altogether. And 2, I was helping keep Grimm off Zach while he made sure that it didn't go off on us."

David was about to respond, when he took a shuriken to the head. Sakura also took a knife to the head at the same time.

"Thank you Ponda, Gregor." Zach said.

"You are velcome." Gregor said, with Ponda simply nodding and Sakura and David glaring at them.

The Weiss and Blake exchanged a glance, then Pyrrha focused on Ruby. "I don't mean to pry, but what's really bothering you?"

Ruby tensed up and unintentionally put her good arm over her metal one. "What do you mean?"

"A family emergency typically doesn't need to involve the whole team."

"Pyrrha," Yang said in a lowered voice, "we don't want to talk about it."

"Yang..." Ruby looked at her sister.

"I'm going off you here." Yang winced. "I thought..."

"Not like that." Ruby shook her head.

"Oh. Well then..." Pyrrha stuttered, "will the rest of you be back in class later?"

"Maybe. I've got a..." Ruby stopped. Did she really want to lie to JNPR? Pyrrha probably already had it figured out with her Semblance. By now, they all had to know what was going on, and they wouldn't stop wondering. Ruby sighed, then looked around herself, making sure no one was in listening distance. She turned back to the other team. "Have you paid attention to the news this morning?" she whispered.

"What about it?" Jaune asked. "It's all about Atlas taking out that Nevermore base." Ruby looked down at the table, then back up at the other team leader. Realization quickly made its way onto Jaune's face, and it infected the rest of his team. "That was you?"

Ruby nodded, then lifted her sleeve on her metal arm a about an inch. Pyrrha and Nora covered their mouths with a hand, Jaune looked absolutely horrified, Ren just stared at the arm with sad eyes. Ruby quickly covered it. "Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded.

Jaune's face cleared. "Like I said, I'm glad your dad's alright."

Ruby sighed and lowered her head. "Thank you," she whispered. When she looked back up, she saw Velvet walking back to her table. Something was off. There was already a set of rabbit ears sitting with team CFVY. A student blocking Ruby's view to the other table vacated his seat. Ruby's eyes widened and she gasped. It wasn't a set of ears, it was just one, and it belonged to the girl that was chained up next to her.

"Ruby, you okay?" Yang asked.

"Yang, turn around." She did and searched the room for a few seconds. Her eyes widened and she turned back to Ruby. "What is she doing here?" The rest of team RWBY searched the area, and one by one they all had the same reaction.

"Who are we talking about now?" Jaune asked innocently.

"One of the Faunus who was ch…who was in the room with me." The Faunus looked up and made eye contact with Ruby. Recognition immediately crossed her face. Velvet put a hand on the other Faunus' shoulder and said something. The girl gestured at Ruby, and Velvet looked in her direction. She immediately turned back to her friend, and said something with more urgency. The girl took out a scroll and said something else to Velvet. The latter hesitated, then nodded. Both rabbit Faunus stood up and started walking toward Ruby.

Jaune turned to his team. "I, uh, think we have stuff to do elsewhere," he said. Team JNPR stood up and brought their food with them. Ren gave Ruby a sympathetic nod as he passed. Ruby watched them go. She knew why they were leaving, but she couldn't help wishing they didn't. Ruby looked at the rest of her team. At least they weren't going anywhere.

The two rabbit Faunus stood across from Ruby, the former prisoner looking as nervous as Ruby felt. "Hi," Ruby eventually squeaked out. She halfheartedly waved with her good hand.

"Hi," the girl said. "I don't think we were ever introduced. I'm Claret." She stuck out a hand.

Ruby took it after less than a second's hesitation. "I'm Ruby." They let go of each other's hands and Ruby looked between the two Faunus. "You two know each other?"

"We grew up on the same street," Velvet answered. "We're practically sisters." She smiled. "So thank you for helping her out."

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know what I did. The rest of my team did all the work."

"HEY! We helped too." Momaw said.

"You fought back when no one else would," Claret said. "You hurt them in ways none of the rest of us could." She turned to the rest of team RWBY and Gray team. "I wouldn't be here right now if not for the rest of you either. Thank you all so much."

The rest of the team smiled and nodded. "How's your arm?" Aaron asked.

Claret rolled out her right shoulder. "Not broken, and I can feel my fingers again." Ruby subconsciously moved her good hand to her own right shoulder. At least she could still feel that. Claret once again removed her scroll from her pocket and turned back to Ruby. "A few of us recorded something for you back on the ship."

Ruby took the scroll and hit the play button. The rest of her team gathered around her. The video opened up with Claret alone on the screen. "Uh, hi. Ruby, Yang, Aaron, I don't know how I'm going to get this to you, but this is something I feel like I have to do. A few of us want to say some things to you, but, well, you're all kind of busy right now. I hope this is good enough."

The video cut to another one of the Faunus from that room. He went on to thank Ruby and the rest for getting him out of there. It wasn't just a simple thank you either. He went on for a few minutes saying how Ruby helped him get through those final hours. Then he thanked Yang specifically for helping with a head injury. The boy finished off by wholeheartedly wishing that Ruby would recover from that rocket. By the time the screen changed to the next person, Ruby's eyes were tearing up and her throat had constricted.

The next three Faunus spoke in a similar pattern. By the time the little lion girl came on screen, Ruby had handed the scroll off to Yang to hold because her arms were shaking too much. She covered her mouth with both hands, unintentionally covering a massive smile underneath. Her tears soaked her gloved hands fairly quickly.

Next came a pair of soldiers that Ruby didn't recognize, yet they were talking about her like she was one of them. They both said that Ruby was tougher than any soldier on the _Vytal_ in their own ways. One of the soldiers went as far as saying that he'd do his best to get team RWBY military support if ever needed. Whether that was actually possible, Ruby had no idea, but at that point it was the thought that counted.

The video wrapped up with Claret giving her own two cents. She said the least out of all of them, most likely because she heard everything the rest had to say. The video ended and Yang handed the scroll back to Claret. "Any way I can get a copy of that?" Yang asked Claret.

"I can send it to your scroll." The Faunus hit a few buttons on her scroll, and pointed it at Yang's. Apparently the transmission went through.

Yang put an arm around her sister's shoulder. "Forget what I said earlier," she said. "You have _several_ lifetime fans now."

Ruby nodded and wiped some of the tears off her face. She looked up and smiled at Claret, who had since sat down directly across from her. Ruby tried to speak, but was unable to get out a sound out for a few seconds. "Thank you," she finally said.

Claret made a confused face. "Why are you thanking me?" she asked

"You showed me I'm doing something right." Ruby looked back at the table. "Still, I hope I never get another one of those videos again." Claret smiled and nodded.

"Ruby," Velvet started, "if you or any of your team need anything, let any of us know." She gestured to the rest of her team.

Ruby smile and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Coco walked over to Velvet and tapped her on the shoulder. "Sorry to break this up, but we got to go." She looked over to Ruby, and tilted her sunglasses down. "If you need help making that arm look natural, or want a better way to cover it up, come find me."

This time Ruby intentionally grabbed her metal arm. "How'd you know?"

"The gloves, and your right sleeve is baggier than your left." Ruby stared at the other team leader dumbstruck.

"I've been with her a year and a half," Velvet said, "and I still don't know how she does it." Both rabbit Faunus stood up. "See you around Ruby."

"Claret," Ruby called, "you going to be around for a while?"

The rabbit Faunus shook her head. "I had to pay Velvet a visit after all that. Get my mind off it, you know?" Ruby simply nodded. With that, team CFVY and Claret left the cafeteria.

"Well, that was unexpected," Weiss said after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah, but it was nice." Ruby wiped some more tears off her face. As she was doing so, she saw that several other students in the cafeteria were staring. "Maybe we should leave."

"Probably a good idea," Aaron agreed while looking around himself. Team RWBY got up and made their own way to the door. Yang had an arm around her sister's shoulders she whole way.

"Ruby, you're eyes are as red as your hood," Yang commented.

"Heh, I wonder why." Ruby paused. "Both of them?"

Yang hesitated. "It's trying, but it's still nowhere close."

Ruby sighed. A message appeared in the right corner of her vision again. 'Reminder: Call Dad.' "Not now," Ruby said, drawing a weird look from her teammates. "My eye's being weird." That was enough for them. For Ruby, the day was off to a decent start. Her own disabilities and earlier episode were temporarily forgotten, replaced by memories of the card and the thank you video. For the first time, she felt she was making a difference. That was more than any other fifteen-year-old girl could say.

* * *

**FYI, after Zach killed O'Donnell and mister rocket man, as I'm going to call that one asshole, is when team RWBAY began to see the SPARTANs as SPARTAN Gray team, not as huntsman-in-training team Gray.**


	20. Revelations

Friday, September 18

POV: Zach

As everyone was leaving Professor Port's room, Zach walked over to Ruby. "Can I talk to you for a bit? Preferably in private."

"Um, sure." Ruby responded, looking more than a little confused. "Will the Dragonhouse work?"

"Yes." Zach responded, before proceeding to head in the direction of the Dragonhouse. The two of them were silent on the way over there, but Zach could tell even without listening to Ruby's thoughts, that she was confused about why he wanted to speak with her. Thankfully, they got there without incident. When they arrived, the only dragon present was Nalia.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Ruby asked.

"Give me a second, I want to make sure that no one can eavesdrop on us." Zach said as he proceeded to make a series of strange glowing purple symbols on the ground in rapid succession with swift movements of the Demon Blade. Once he finished, a wall of similar purple symbols formed around the two of them. "There we go. Now then, I wanted to talk to you about two things. First, I'm going to tell you something that I don't particularly like talking about, my own experience with being kidnapped." That got Ruby's full and undivided attention, as well as an audible gasp as Ruby's right hand subconsciously moved up to her mouth.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"Deadly so." He replied. "It was December 13, 2016. Me, Nick, David, Percy, and two other half-bloods by the names of Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus, and Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, were at a school in Maine, one of the fifty states in the USA, responding to a call for assistance from a satyr by the name of Grover Underwood. You see, satyrs help half-bloods out in a number of ways, but the main one is by going undercover in schools to find them and do what they can to help them get to camp, which is a safe haven for them. And Grover had found two who were particularly powerful. The problem he had was the vice principal, who was a monster. Specifically, a manticore, which was disguised as a human being and had taken on the fake name of 'Dr. Thorn.' Grover couldn't even get near the half-bloods because always Thorn got in the way. That's where we came in. I had Nick and David get on the roof of the school and told them to not let any monsters get the jump on us while the rest of us went inside to link up with Grover."

"The school had a dance going on that night, and Thorn had his eyes on us. So we took our eyes off of the half-bloods to make it seem like they weren't why we were there. Next thing we knew, Thorn had taken them and almost disappeared with them. Percy went after them and wound up getting his ass kicked by Thorn, but we managed to catch up to them before Thorn could really disappear with them. However, Thorn was good. He completely prevented us from getting a hit in on him. Then, when he was about ready to kill Percy and Thalia, the goddess Artemis appeared with her hunters and managed to get Thorn to change tactics. There was no way he would beat a goddess, so he decided to retreat. Before he could though, Annabeth had jumped onto Thorn's back and stuck her knife in it. As he made to retreat, I ran at him with my fist on fire to at least try to get Annabeth off his back, but his tail flicked out and bashed into my head, knocking me out."

"What?!" Ruby asked quietly, shocked that something had effectively beaten the person who was able to casually beat Pyrrha without breaking a sweat.

"When I came to, I was chained to the remains of large stone wall, my weapons were taken away, and I had a strange stone collar around my neck. Turned out, that collar was meant to keep me from using any of my powers. After about a minute though, I noticed something beyond where I was being held. Practically in the middle of the courtyard remains, was Annabeth. She was on one knee, and was seemingly struggling to hold up something. I quickly put two and two together and realized that whoever was in charge there had managed to essentially force Annabeth to bear the burden that the Titan Atlas had been given as an eternal punishment, the weight of the sky." Zach continued, proceeding to twirl the streak of gray in his black hair with his right pointer finger subconsciously. "I immediately looked around, and almost instantly, I spotted someone whom the sight of them made my blood boil. Luke Castellan. Before I could do anything in response to seeing him, Annabeth let out a grunt of pain. My eyes darted back over to her, and I noticed that her arms seemed to have lowered. My eyes widened in shock, which quickly turned into rage. Annabeth was my friend, and those assholes had her stuck holding up the weight of the sky. I was pissed, no, way beyond pissed. I had always had ridiculous strength compared to most people, and despite being thirteen at the time, I was able to lift easily over three times my own body weight. I instantly acted, tearing the chains out of the wall, and sprinted over to Annabeth in mere seconds. I knew that someone had to hold up the sky, or else everyone would be flattened. So, instead of pulling Annabeth out, I got onto one knee right beside her, and helped her hold up the sky until help could arrive and get us the hell out of there. We were prisoners there until December 21 and me, Percy, and Annabeth all, at some point in time during that timeframe, at least helped to hold up the sky. Because of that, each of us has a streak of gray in our hair." Zach said. "What I'm trying to get at is, don't be afraid to talk to someone. Get some help. I know that I had to after that, and there weren't exactly any psychiatrists that I could talk to about my problems." That got Ruby to laugh a bit. "Now then. The other thing you saw in your nightmare that night. Can you describe it?"

Ruby stiffened slightly, then relaxed. "After the part that made sense, I found myself in a room with a bunch of strange soldiers in green armor and one guy in a white uniform was with them. They were in a hallway of some kind of silver metal with blue lights on the walls. The guy in white told one of the others to get the door open, and the guy responded with something like, 'I'll try, but it looks like the Covenant worked pretty hard to lock it down."

"Did you say 'Covenant'?!" Zach asked, shocked.

"Yeah, they had mentioned that. What is it?"

"Was. It's gone now. Basically, they were a bunch of different species of aliens that wanted humanity extinct because of the three lying assholes who were in charge." Ruby's eyes went wide. "Did you get any names?"

"Only two. Mendoza and Jenkins." It was Zach's turn to have his eyes go wide. In an instant he was wearing his armor instead of his uniform and was scrolling through his Tacpad. After a few moments, a holographic screen pops up, showing the exact scene that Ruby had described from the perspective of one Private Wallace A. Jenkins.

"Is this the scene?" Zach asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Fuck. Did you see those tan things get Jenkins?"

"Yes, why?"

"In a minute. After that, then what did you see?"

"Everything faded to black, then I heard a voice say, 'what our kin failed to do to Earth, we will do to Remnant.' Then I turned around and saw a lot of those mutated people. Humans, faunus, all three dragons, and at the front of them all, was me, in the same condition as them. And that's where it ended." Ruby concluded. "What does it mean?"

"Di Immortales." Zach cursed. He then went back to scrolling through the Tacpad until he found the clip he wanted. "Did it sound like this." He asked before pressing something on the Tacpad. It then played an audio clip of the Gravemind saying, "These ones are machine and nerve, and have their minds concluded." in it's deep, gravelly, and slightly echoing voice.

"Yes." Ruby responded, slightly terrified.

"Oh, Styx!" Zach cursed again, thunder rumbling in the distance this time. "It sounds like that wasn't a nightmare, but rather a Demigod dream."

"What?"

"Demigods rarely if ever have normal dreams, rather, when we do dream, our dreams always relate to current events in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes we'll see a part of the past that is relevant to the present, which is what the first part of that was, and the second part seemed like another thing that can happen with Demigod dreams, seeing the worst potential outcome of current events."

"But, I'm not a Demigod. I know who both of my parents are. Well, you know."

"Yeah, I know that. Which confuses me, unless. I think I know what it is."

"What?!"

"I've read up on Silver Eyed Warriors, and from what I've read, and, supposedly, nothing could lay a finger on them unless they allowed it to. I think I've figured out what enabled that kind of skill. I think that people with silver eyes can both have mock Demigod dreams, enabling them to know more about their opponents, and see into the future. It would enable them to see attacks coming from a mile away and react to them in real time."

"That would explain how I saw what I saw in the warehouse that day before I even got there." Ruby muttered.

"So you've also gotten flashes of the future." Zach said.

"Yeah." Ruby confirmed. "You?"

"Same here. It started out being a rare thing, but nowadays, they happen at least once a week. I **think** I'm starting to get control of it, but don't quote me on that."

"So, if you're correct, then the two of us could be some of the most powerful combatants ever?" She asked.

"Powerful, up for debate. Capable, yes." Zach corrected. "I think we should keep somewhat quiet about this though, because one, I might be wrong, two, advantages are best kept secret, and three, who outside of our teams and maybe team JNPR would believe us."

"Agreed." Ruby replied. "Although, what are you going to do about the thing that my dream predicted?"

"At the moment, just be ready for it. That's all I can do right now."

"One last thing, what was it?" Ruby asked.

"The Flood. An antient parasite that feeds off of sentient lifeforms and grows stronger and smarter the more it consumes. Word of advice, Aura doesn't help against it very much, so avoid close quarters combat with it, and stay the fuck away from any kind of tan gas cloud."

"I'll…keep that in mind." Ruby said as Zach took down the enchantment. Ruby walked over to the new workbench that she put in the Dragonhouse on Thursday the week after the incident, and Zach went off to perform some maintenance on the _Olympus_' Mark 2457/35cm HRG "Mini-MAC".

* * *

Saturday, September 19

POV: Aaron

Aaron lay on a new couch recently brought into the Dragonhouse. He was intently reading a biology textbook. The other members of his team thought he was crazy for reading a textbook in his free time, but he wasn't exactly doing it for fun. Alagaësia didn't know how exactly the human body worked. Already, Aaron had found out that several deadly diseases back home were eradicated on Remnant, or a nuisance more than deadly. Others, he thought he could treat or cure with magic while technology couldn't do more than slow progress.

_If only we had this much information back home,_ he thought to Nalia. _So many more people would still be alive._

_Books like this would have helped,_ the dragon agreed. _So much knowledge in one book that students here must know. If magic was prevalent here, there would be even less suffering._

Aaron nodded his head, then looked up._ Well, for the most part anyway._ He looked across the Dragonhouse at Ruby. She stood at her workbench doing something with her metal arm. Several of her own biology books lay across the table. If the last week was any indication, she probably had even more information on her scroll and her fake eye, however that last one worked.

Ever since Ruby obtained various tools and supplies two days after being rescued, the young Rider spent almost all her time either in the Dragonhouse or another workshop trying to improve her arm. Much to the initial surprise of her teammates, Ruby didn't try to install a gun in her arm. When she explained she was focusing on getting feeling back in her arm, they understood. So far, Ruby said she had made little progress. As far as Aaron understood, no one had ever been able to successfully incorporate a nervous system into a bionic arm before. There were several attempts, but all failed. Still, the field was relatively new, and Ruby had hopes that she could come up with something.

Still, Aaron was worried. She was pushing herself too hard. Ruby got up early in the morning to research and test, and went to bed late each night. During class and their magic training sessions, she was tired, and her head was always somewhere else. If there was any bright side, she rarely thought about her imprisonment. Well, she didn't break down anyway.

_Nalia, we have to get Ruby out of here,_ Aaron said_, Where's the rest of the team?_

_They're in their room,_ Nalia replied._ If I had to guess, I'd say they're doing homework, or in Yang's case, putting it off._

Aaron closed his book and set it on the end table by his head. He stood up and started walking out of the Dragonhouse. Before he left though, he turned to look at where the last egg was now buried. It had been two weeks since the members of team JNPR were brought before the egg. It never even made a sound.

The Rider sighed and left the building. If Ruby noticed him leave, she didn't let on. Aaron took out his scroll and entered Yang's number. I rang twice before she answered. "Hey Aaron, what's up?" she asked.

"Not much," Aaron said. "Still trying to get through that biology book."

"I get why you're reading it, but I don't understand how you can bear it."

"Simple necessity. I might be able to save a life with what's in there." Yang made a noise that Aaron now associated with 'whatever.' He turned his head back toward the Dragonhouse. "Also, I'm worried about Ruby."

Yang sighed over the scroll. "She still working on her arm nonstop?"

"Yeah, I don't even think she noticed me leave the building." Aaron sighed this time. "You know her best, what's the best way to snap her out of this?"

"Hmmm." The creak of a chair floated through the scroll. "We have a board game in here that she likes that we haven't played in a while. That could do the trick."

"As long as she's out of the Dragonhouse and workshops. The library's a good bet."

"Probably a good idea. You going to be there as well?"

"Yeah, figured I should brush up on Remnant's history a little more."

"More spare time reading, or for class?"

"A little bit of both."

"Alright, see you in a few." Yang disconnected and Aaron put his scroll back in his pocket. A shadow covered him, and Aaron looked up at the obstruction. Several Atlas ships had arrived in Vale over the last day. All those currently in the kingdom were smaller than the _Vytal,_ but all could still probably take on several dragons at once if needed. Aaron hadn't been in Vale long, but he knew shows of force like this always preceded something.

Aaron entered the library and immediately headed for the history section. Once there, he picked up a few books on the Human-Faunus war. Doctor Oobleck assigned a reading in only one of them, but Aaron wanted to know more about Remnant's history. He learned the hard way that the elves didn't take ignorance very well, and he did his best since then to not make a fool of himself.

As Aaron searched for a place to sit, he came across team JNPR already sitting at a table. Nora was sleeping on top of the book Ren was reading, Jaune and Pyrrha were each reading their own books. An X-Ray and Vav comic lay on the table as well. "Mind if I join you?" Aaron asked.

The three that were awake looked up. "Oh, Aaron," Jaune said, sounding surprised. "Not at all, take a seat." Aaron sat in the chair directly across from Pyrrha.

"The Faunus War," Pyrrha commented. "More extracurricular reading or is this for class?"

"A bit of both," Aaron opened a book to the assigned section. "If I'm going to live here, I might as well know some of the history."

"If Doctor Oobleck ever asks what advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune, it's night vision," Jaune commented. Aaron wondered what would cause Jaune to say that. He shook his head and turned his attention to the book.

After a few minutes, Aaron heard a few familiar voices. He looked up and saw the rest of his team walking roughly in his direction. Yang held a box in one of her arms. Ruby of course wore her gloves, covering up her metal hand. She was smiling and talking with the rest of her team, and Aaron swore he saw a scheme brewing in the young Rider's good eye.

Aaron returned his attention to his book and continued reading. The girls of his team sat down and played their game. Ruby and Yang were being overly loud and dramatic about it, while Weiss sounded overly confused and Blake sounded like she didn't care. At one point, Aaron swore he heard that Weiss attacked her own navy. Jaune snickered a little.

A few minutes later, Aaron decided to listen in on what exactly was going on at the other table. Ruby was making a few noises of concentration, then she said dramatically, "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

"Bring it on!" Yang said, acting as dramatic as her sister.

"I deploy, the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Yang gasped. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly." Ruby started making some battle sounds.

"You fiend!"

"And since Atlas is a part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts, one turn."

Yang laughed evilly and Ruby gasped this time. "Pretty sneaky sis, but you've just activated my trap card!" Ruby made a noise that sounded like 'What?!' "Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two."

"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces."

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Aaron looked over at the two sisters. They were only inches from each other's faces, both had evil grins on their faces. They pulled back and Yang rolled a multisided die. "Hah!"

"NOOOOOO! My fearless sold-" Ruby slammed both her hands into her head, and Aaron could hear the sound of impact from where he sat. Yang's grin disappeared off her face in an instant. "Ow…that hurt."

"You okay?" Yang asked, suddenly sounding like a big sister again.

Ruby growled and looked back up at Yang, "Why do you care? You just killed my soldiers!"

Yang's smirk returned and crossed her arms. "Most of them were probably androids anyway."

"Goodbye my friends, you will be avenged"

"Not until I draw my rewards, which are doubled this round thanks to the Mistral trade route!"

"Bah!"

"Oh, and what's this? The Smugglers of Wind Path?"

"Bah, Bah I say!"

"Looks like I'm taking two cards from your hand!"

"Have you no heart?" Ruby lay her head down on the table and extended her metal hand with her cards out toward Yang. She brought her natural hand up to the spot where the metal one hit her head. Aaron saw the red Rider's lips move and heard some very quiet words in the Ancient Language come out. After a few seconds, her face released its tension.

"Well Weiss, it's your turn." Yang turned and smiled at the heiress. Aaron meanwhile smiled and shook his head. It was good seeing them having a good time, especially Ruby. She'd been so focused on her own work, she barely had time for Cerise. Now, she was acting along with the game. Even though she looked like she was extremely depressed at the moment, there was a spark of happiness in her good eye.

Suddenly Weiss stood up and started giving a speech that Aaron thought would come from pirates. Yang stuck out a hand and said, "Trap card." Weiss stopped speaking and the blonde rearranged the pieces on the board so fast dust filled the air directly above it. "Your armies have been destroyed."

Weiss sat back down. "I hate this game of emotions we play…"

Ruby practically jumped into her partner's lap. "Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together."

Weiss hugged the girl in her lap. "Shut up, don't touch me!" Aaron couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. He turned his attention back to the books in front of him. Jaune got up from his spot at the table and walked over to the rest of team RWB(A)Y. It sounded like he wanted to join the game but couldn't. Aaron tried to focus on his reading, but the action at the other table caught his curiosity a little too much. Suddenly Pyrrha shot up and ran to cover Jaune's mouth.

Soon after two more people showed up at the other table. It was the monkey Faunus Sun and the guy with blue hair that was with him on the day of Aaron's initiation. The blue haired guy said something, to which Ren enthusiastically replied, "Thank you!"

Nora snorted once and her head shot up. "Pancakes!" she blurted out. Aaron glanced at Nora for a second. Again he chuckled and tried to return to his reading. Their conversation continued on for a little longer, and Blake left the table alone. Soon after, Jaune took Blake's place at the table, much to Pyrrha's displeasure. Sun and the other guy chose people to root for, and the game was on again.

Once again, Yang sounded like she was in the lead, then out of nowhere, the table erupted in cheers. The blonde leaped out of her chair, knocking it over. "How did you manage to do that?" she demanded.

"You were too spread out with as little forces as you had. Even a small Blitzkrieg with half as many forces as one of your main fronts would have been able to cut off your supply lines, resulting in your troops being surrounded and your capital being open for attack due to having little to no defenses left." Sakura said, making everyone turn to look at her. Aaron hadn't even seen her enter. "Never send your forces out without leaving some behind to defend their flank and supply lines."

"She's right," Jaune said smugly. "You were too spread out, attacking Atlas and Vacuo at the same time. It was a simple matter of cutting your supply lines and attacking where you were weakest, your own kingdom."

Yang didn't say anything for a few seconds. "How did _you _figure that out?"

"You're talking to the three-time Arc family champion right now." Yang's shoulders slumped and she righted her chair. She sat back down and crossed her arms, fuming. Jaune turned to the other team leader. "Ruby, I believe it's your turn now."

Ruby chuckled. "I don't care who wins now. Yang lost, that's all that matters."

Yang shot her sister a glare. "I'm right here you know." Ruby just smiled, then looked at her cards. By that point, Aaron figured he wasn't going to get any more reading done. He closed the book and got the stack of three back together.

_Well, this worked out wonderfully,_ Aaron thought to Nalia.

The dragon hummed her agreement over their mental link._ Ruby needed this, if not all of them._

_Well, all of them except Blake. Why did she leave?_

_She has been distant the past few days, even for her. It would probably be wise to figure out what's bothering her sooner rather than later._ Aaron mentally nodded as he put the books back on their spots on the self. As he returned to the table the game was being played at, Ruby was packing up the game.

"Who won?" Aaron asked as he approached the table.

"That would be me," Jaune said confidently. "Minimal casualties after I took command. Vale now rules Remnant."

"To be fair," Yang butted in, "I did knock out pretty much everything Weiss and Ruby had before Jaune stabbed me in the back."

"Keep telling yourself that," Ruby mocked. She tilted her head slightly, then chuckled quietly. It must have been something Cerise said.

"Well, we got to get going," Sun said grabbing blue haired guy's shoulder.

"I'll see you later, Snow Angel," the latter said before Sun dragged him off. Weiss blushed a little bit and Jaune sent a slight glare at the blue haired guy.

Aaron just scratched his head. "Did I miss something somewhere?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jaune said exasperated. "You missed nothing."

"We should probably go find Blake," Weiss said, a little concern in her voice. "I know she's not exactly a social person, but she doesn't just leave while we're doing something."

Ruby shrugged. "She probably just went back to the room. Weren't you guys doing homework when Yang called?"

"We all needed a mental break," Yang stated.

"Says the one who was watching videos on her scroll," Weiss scoffed.

"Well, we _should_ go find Blake," Ruby said before Yang and Weiss could get into an argument.

"Probably for the best," Aaron agreed.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later," Jaune said. Team RWBAY started making their way outside, and Aaron could have sworn he heard Ren sigh in relief.

* * *

POV: Ozpin

Ozpin started out of his tower at the three Atlas frigates docked at Beacon. Unlike the_ Vytal,_ he saw no reason for this small fleet to be in the Kingdom. Vale wasn't Atlas. There, these warships were an everyday spectacle. Not here. Vale's navy rarely had more than one ship in the area, and certainly never its own aerial corvettes. Yes, Atlas would help defend Vale, but they could very well bring the attack in the first place.

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Glynda commented beside Ozpin.

"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a very busy man," Ozpin justified. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." A notification of his desk beeped for his attention. Ozpin turned to it, then the elevator. It appeared James was right on time, as usual. "Come in."

The elevator doors opened revealing General James Ironwood. "Ozpin." He spread his arms out to his side.

Ozpin stepped around his desk. "Hello General."

James waved a hand in front of himself. "Please, drop the formalities." The two approached and shook hands. "It's been too long." They separated and James faced the deputy Headmistress. "And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."

Glynda gave him a half-hearted wave. "Oh, James..." She cast an annoyed glance at Ozpin. "I'll be outside." Glynda left the two headmasters and walked to the elevator.

"Well she hasn't changed a bit," James commented.

Ozpin ignored that last statement. "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin returned to his desk and filled a second mug with coffee. "Headmasters typically don't travel with their students for the Vytal Festival." He offered the mug to James.

The other headmaster took it. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to, catch up."

"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends." Ozpin sat in his chair and refiled his cup. "However, the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."

James' smile stayed in place. "I am not the only one with a small fleet anymore. Or soldiers, for that matter."

"Aaron Benson and Nalia are refugees. I have no doubt that if I gave an order they didn't like, they would not follow it. Neither Cerise nor Halcyon are able to fight anything larger than an Ursa consistently. And team Gray are capable fighters, but they certainly do not act like soldiers in most situations."

"Oz," James' smile finally disappeared, "you and I both know why I brought those men."

"We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this," Ozpin gestured to the frigates outside, "are just going to give off the wrong impression."

James scowled. "But if what Qrow said is true-"

"If what Qrow said is true," Ozpin interrupted, "then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival; a time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious."

"As am I, which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."

James brought a hand to his chest. "Believe me, I am." He paused. "I have also seen what two teams of yours can do."

Ozpin wondered when this would come up. "You have those reports?"

"I received them this morning." James placed his mug back on Ozpin's desk and took his Scroll out of a pocket. "It is quite impressive what they did." He pressed a few buttons.

"Teams RWBAY and Gray found what numerous Huntsmen and Huntresses couldn't." Ozpin nodded. "However, I believe everyone involved would have preferred how the base was found to have gone differently." Another notification appeared on his desk. Ozpin opened the file and inspected the first few paragraphs. "Did any of your medics or technicians question why they must build bionic limbs for a fifteen-year-old?"

James shook his head. "If they did, they kept it to themselves. They know better than to question a direct order from me."

Ozpin nodded then looked farther down the report. He stopped on a brain scan. On just a quick glance, he knew what it was. Even when it was still in development, he recognized the same patterns from many Huntsmen, policemen, and soldiers alike. Ruby would need counseling, but she would need to come by that decision on her own. "Have her injuries hampered her abilities?"

"I do not have an answer for that. Her Aura readings were well above average during and after her surgeries, but we have nothing to compare it to." James paused. "Does she know what she is?"

"No, and she will not until she turns eighteen, or until she figures it out for herself." Ozpin sighed. "We haven't had a warrior of her strength and skill since her mother. I have to wonder if she will lose any of her spirit because of this event."

"If Ruby Rose is anything like Summer Rose, she will not let this experience keep her down."

"You are forgetting how Summer acted after her first kill." Ozpin switched files. "And your assessment of Aaron Benson and Nalia?"

"Those two had every opportunity to kill anyone at that base, but refrained from doing so. If Tenga is to be believed, these two are the young pair that are seeking refuge." James paused. "And according to the Chief Medical Officer on the _Vytal,_ Aaron saved the lives of two of my men. That cannot go unsaid."

Ozpin looked through the file on Aaron and Nalia. "But it appears Aaron has trust issues. He believes I had a larger plan for him before we even met."

James blinked. "He's right, isn't he?"

"His and Miss Xiao Long's telepathic abilities helped them find Miss Rose. They could be a valuable asset to find those wishing to harm Ruby...And any who would work against us in the city."

James sighed. "You wish to bring him in?"

"Not entirely." Ozpin closed the file and locked eyes with James. "We believe there is already an agent working against us in the city. This person could be a threat to both the city of Vale, and Atlas forces."

"What are you insinuating?" James raised an eyebrow.

"I believe I read the estimated reward for finding those children and the Nevermore base 'would have been the largest in years had Atlas not found it.' Also, I believe the commanding officer of the military involved would like to speak with the ones that helped save their men."

James crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't like this, Oz. If Aaron has trust issues, he may suspect why I am asking him for this after thanking him."

"Neither do I." Ozpin rose from his chair. "But we must take every advantage we can get. I do hope these moves are unnecessary, but if worse comes to worst, I believe we will be glad we did.

* * *

POV: Ruby

Almost as soon as the group stepped out of the library, a couple of dragon roars were heard overhead. Ruby looked up and saw Cerise and Halcyon flying toward them. The dragons landed, and each ran over to their Riders. Cerise didn't tackle her Rider as much anymore. She didn't know whether or not the force would injure Ruby further, and she was getting big enough that a tackle would drain too much of Ruby's aura.

Halcyon and Yang, on the other hand, developed their own version. A few days ago, Halcyon tried to tackle Yang, but the blonde caught the charge and it turned into an impromptu wrestling match. Ever since, the two of them wrestled whenever they met up. So far, Yang had won each match, but Halcyon put up a fair fight.

This time was no different. Ruby watched as the dragon charged his Rider. Yang dropped into a defensive stance, ready to take the charge. The two impacted and Yang was forced back several feet. They stood like that for several seconds, trying to get leverage on the other. Halcyon tried something new and stood up on his hind legs. Yang was hoisted into the air due to her grip. The golden dragon stood on the tips of his toes, then leaned forward. If Yang saw what was coming it was too late for her to do anything. Halcyon slammed his Rider into the ground, pinning her.

Cerise huffed her approval while Ruby and Aaron laughed. Halcyon roared in victory, then nuzzled his pinned Rider. Yang playfully forced her dragon's head away. "I just can't win today," she said. The golden dragon backed off Yang and the blonde stood up. She brushed herself off, then smirked at Halcyon. "I guess I finally have some competition."

Halcyon snorted then shook his head. His face didn't change, but Yang's sure did. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. "Yang, you alright?" Ruby asked slightly concerned.

"Did you just…" Yang whispered, ignoring her sister. Halcyon blinked, and a wide smile grew on Yang's face. She knelt down to look her dragon in the eye and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Say that again." Halcyon huffed in his Rider's face. Yang laughed. "I think we're going to get along just fine." She closed her eyes and placed her forehead against her dragon's snout.

Ruby smiled and locked eyes with Cerise. _I think Halcyon just spoke for the first time._

The red dragon hummed her agreement. _I think you're right. I still wish our time could have been more like this._

_You and me both._ Ruby rubbed Cerise' snout. Yang stood up, yet kept a hand on Halcyon's head.

"I take it he said something?" Weiss asked.

"Yep!" Yang said with a beaming smile on her face. "He's already picked up my sense of humor."

Weiss sighed and covered her face with a hand. "Not another one." She didn't seem to believe what she said though. Ruby saw her partner trying to hold back a smile behind the hand. She looked around the area some more, and saw that her group was attracting a little too much attention for her liking.

"I hate to break this up," Ruby started, "but people are staring." She subconsciously placed her good arm on her metal one, like somehow that would prevent people from seeing the metal.

"A good idea as any," Aaron agreed, also looking around. Ruby lead the way back to the dorm room with Cerise by her side. Yang and Halcyon lagged behind. Luckily, most students had gotten used to seeing the dragons around campus. Only visitors and a few random students gawked at the dragons as they walked by. The less people to stare at Ruby, the less likely someone would find out about her bionic body parts. While Coco did a nice job making the limbs more full to be like natural ones under clothes, Ruby didn't want to take chances.

She looked at Cerise' front right leg, and immediately felt guilty about hiding her injuries. It had been almost a month since Cerise was attacked by Beowolves, and the scales on her leg hadn't grown back at all. Then there were all the scales that were destroyed after she was shot down. Cerise was now missing nearly half the scales on her belly, and they showed no signs of growing back either. She didn't even care that much. Still, her Rider was worried.

"Aaron, were there dragons in Alagaësia that couldn't grow scales back?" she asked. Cerise turned her attention to the most experienced Rider as well.

Aaron took a few seconds to answer. "There were, but they were few and far in between. They were called 'scaleless.' Applying what I know here, I think it might be genetic problem. Wild scaleless dragons had a much shorter life span due to the fact that their primary defense had so many gaps. A Rider who was bonded to a scaleless just regrew the scales with magic so going into battle wasn't a problem, though they were forbidden from taking mates."

Cerise stopped in place and growled. _Who came up with that idea?_

Aaron turned to the now angry dragon. "It's a centuries old rule, one that I never agreed with." He paused. "I don't think that applies anymore. There are so few dragons left, not even the strictest of elders would restrict you now." Aaron looked at the ground, then kept walking.

The red dragon huffed. _Good. No one can tell me who I can and can't mate with._ Ruby blushed at her dragon's thoughts, then she felt her dragon come across a realization. Cerise turned her head back to the Dragonhouse and drooped her wings. _Oh, he's the only one, and he hasn't hatched yet…_The red dragon suddenly gave off the feeling of loneliness, a first for the young dragon.

Ruby placed a hand on her dragon's shoulder. _There has to be more eggs back in Alagaësia, or more friendly Riders that survived. _Another thought struck Ruby. _You're just over a month old and you're already thinking about this? I'm fifteen, and I'm not even looking._

Cerise shrugged. _It's instinct._ The two started walking again. Yang and Halcyon had since passed. The blonde turned back to look at Ruby. She raised her eyebrows to ask what was going on. Ruby just shook her head. The older sister shrugged and faced back forward again.

The group arrived at the residence hall. Cerise and Halcyon settled down underneath team RWBAY's window while the rest entered the building. Weiss turned back to Yang as they walked through the halls. "Are you two going to end up like Ruby and Cerise?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Yang cocked her head to the side.

"You going to be in and out of our room and the Dragonhouse?"

Yang shrugged. "I guess so. Looks like you and Blake are going to have the room to yourselves a lot more."

Weiss opened the door to their room. "Just don't disappear completely." She entered the room first. Ruby was next and saw Blake sitting on her bed.

"Don't get your hopes up, we'll still be around."

"You at least have a reason to sleep in here," Aaron commented. "I've slept in my room maybe once. Still, it's nice to have in case me and Nalia get in an argument."

"Is that even possible for you two?" Ruby asked in disbelief. She'd never even seen them glare at each other.

"It happens more than you'd think." Aaron said sitting down in a chair. Blake walked past Ruby's vision and toward the door.

"Stop!" Weiss ordered the Faunus. Blake's hand was only inches from the doorknob. "Lately you've been quiet, anti-social, and moody."

"Uh, have you met Blake?" Yang asked jokingly.

"Which I get is kind of your thing," Weiss continued as if she didn't hear Yang, "but you've been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong." A shine appeared in Weiss' eyes. "So, Blake Belladonna! What, is, wrong?" Weiss did a flip in the air and landed on a chair, with a finger pointed at Blake. She then played if off like she just asked the question, putting the chair back in its original place.

Aaron put a hand behind his neck. "You girls worry me sometimes," he mumbled.

Blake closed her eyes, then started speaking. "I just…I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

Ruby grabbed her metal arm. "The Nevermores aren't a problem anymore. Or not as big of one as they used to be."

"It's not just them, but Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one's doing anything about it!"

"I have to agree with Blake on this one," Aaron said, suddenly serious. "The White Fang have people watching me every time I go into the city." Everyone else in the room looked at the only guy.

"You not telling us something?" Yang asked.

Aaron shifted in his chair. "I ever tell you what I was really doing in my first two weeks here?"

"You were researching Remnant to try and find a way to fit in," Ruby said, hoping that's all he did.

"I was looking into the White Fang in case they found Cerise' egg. Thankfully, they didn't, but a week in one group reported that they found strange animal tracks in the forest that I now realize are dragon feet." Ruby glanced at the window. The White Fang were in the area Cerise was?

"Every time I found a place the White Fang claimed, I sabotaged it in some way, and somewhere along the line they found me out. One time I read something that lead me to that apartment building where we officially met. There weren't even any Faunus in the building. Turns out it was just a bomb to kill me, and several other humans in the process."

"Whoa," Yang breathed. "I can see why they wouldn't like you."

Ruby looked at those in the room. She knew what the rest would want to do, but she wasn't sure she could. Weiss started speaking. "Okay, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the four of you think you're already to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells. But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."

"Are you forgetting what we did a week and a half ago?" Blake demanded.

"The Nevermores didn't know we were coming and we had military grade support. The White Fang, however, are hunting a member of our team, and they will obviously kill anyone who gets in their way."

"So we just hang back and let them get stronger? We may never be ready to take them on. Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They're out there planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"

Ruby hadn't noticed she was slowly taking steps back until she backed into the wall. "I have to partly agree with Weiss on this one," she said. The rest of her team turned to her. "Last time, I got hurt. Trained professionals got _killed._" She looked up at her team. "Terrorists are a few levels above a criminal organization. Would going in now be suicide?"

Yang's earlier nonchalance was quickly replaced by worry. "Ruby, where is this coming from?"

"You know where," Ruby said as she shrugged her right shoulder.

Blake suddenly looked a little guilty. "If the White Fang had a place that defended in Vale, we would have found out by now, and the police would have shut them down quickly. We won't be dealing with a fortress here."

Ruby nodded and bit her lip. They were going to face the White Fang at some point just because Aaron appeared to be on their hit list. Might as well engage on her terms. "Alright, all those in favor of taking on the White Fang, say Aye." There was very little enthusiasm in her voice.

One by one, every member of team RWBAY said 'Aye.' Even Nalia and Cerise contributed. Ruby was about to go on when an unfamiliar mind pressed against her own. _Aye,_ the very masculine voice said.

Everyone in the dorm room apparently heard the voice. Blake looked around, most likely not understanding what she just heard. Yang just smiled. "Well team, that's what Halcyon sounds like," she said.

Weiss looked at her teammate, shocked. "He's two weeks old and he already sounds like an adult?"

"Dragons typically keep the same mental voice throughout life," Aaron stated. "There have been centuries old dragons sounding like children, and it's hard to keep a straight face while talking to them."

Ruby chuckled a little. "I bet." Suddenly Cerise turned very excited and it transferred over Ruby's and her mental link. The Rider turned in the direction of her dragon. "There something going on out there?"

Cerise sent boatloads of excitement to Ruby. _There's someone out here that wants to meet with you and Yang._

Ruby turned to Yang, who was also staring at the window, more than slightly confused. "Well who is it?" the blonde asked.

_Get out here and see for yourselves!_ Cerise closed the connection between her and Ruby.

"You getting anything out of Halcyon?" Ruby asked Yang.

"Nope. I don't know what Cerise taught or told him, but he's not letting me in."

Ruby sighed. "I guess we better get down there and see who it is." She took a few steps toward the door before stopping. "Oh, I forgot my game in the library."

Weiss sighed behind her. "We're doomed."

"I'll go get the game," Aaron said, "you can just worry about meeting, whoever it is you are." Ruby nodded and the three Riders left the room. Just as Aaron left he bumped into someone else in the hall. "My bad," he apologized.

"Not a problem," the green haired girl said. She did a slight double take then kept on walking, if a little faster than before. Two people followed close behind her.

"Haven't seen them around here before," Ruby commented. "Must be here for the tournament."

"I've seen one of them before," Aaron said as he put a hand in a pocket. He pulled out his wallet and scroll. "Green back there is a pickpocket."

"What?" Ruby turned back and put a hand in her own pocket. She felt her Scroll and small wallet inside.

"Then again, so was I. I'm not one to judge people for that." Aaron put his stuff back in his pocket. "Still, keep an eye on your wallet."

"Do I want to know how you know?" Yang asked, sounding on guard.

"If I'm remembering right, she was the first one _I_ pickpocketed in the city."

The three left the dorm building. Ruby and Yang made their way toward their dragons while Aaron split off and walked in the direction of the library. The dragons came into sight, and Ruby instantly realized why Cerise was so excited. A tall man with blonde hair stood a few feet away from the dragons. He wore a tan shirt and similarly colored cargo pants. A tattoo of two black dragons sat about midway up his right arm. Ruby realized that it just took on a whole new meaning.

"Dad!" Ruby yelled, then started to run. Unfortunately, that was the first time she used her Semblance since getting the new leg. She didn't know if the leg moved too fast or too slow, but it tripped her up. Ruby stumbled at speed and swore she flipped upside down before her dad somehow caught her beneath her shoulders. "Hi," she said playing off her tumble, then she threw her arms around her dad.

Taiyang Xiao Long returned the hug. It was somewhere between comforting and suffocating. "I'm so glad you're okay!" he said.

"Still…need…to…breathe…" Her dad let go and Ruby took a few exaggerated breaths. "I'm fine, you caught me."

Taiyang smiled sadly and put a hand on Ruby's right shoulder. "You know that's not what I meant."

Ruby reluctantly smiled and placed her natural hand on her metal arm. "It could have been much worse."

Yang finally caught up with Ruby. She threw her own arms around Taiyang. "It's good to see you here dad," she said.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Taiyang said as Yang and he exchanged crushing hugs. "You'd be surprised how hard it is to find an affordable transport to Vale these days."

Halcyon bounded over to the two blondes. He jumped around the two energetically. Taiyang looked at the dragon cautiously while Yang just smiled. "I think he wants to wrestle."

"Wrestle? This little guy? I've taken creeps bigger than him." Halcyon shook his head and snorted. He jumped at Taiyang, who wasn't expecting it, and tackled him to the ground. The two sisters laughed, as did Cerise. "Okay, I take it back," Taiyang said from beneath the dragon.

"You're losing your touch if you were taken down so easily," Ruby said once she could talk again. Halcyon shot the red Rider a glare. "Hey, you can't even take down a Beowolf yet." He growled, but made no move toward Ruby. Halcyon was even more careful around the injured Rider than Cerise.

"Okay Halcyon," Yang stared, "you made your point. Get off my dad." Halcyon complied and took his spot by Yang's side. Yang reached down and scratched at the base of her dragon's head, his favorite spot.

"So dad, what brings you here?" Ruby asked as Cerise settled down by her side.

Taiyang hesitated. "There are some things that can't be said over scrolls or video chat, and I had to see you for myself after all that's happened. Oh, I also brought those tools you asked for." He gestured to a small red box that a few feet away.

Ruby nodded, then looked around. "Can we go somewhere else to talk about this? I don't exactly want people knowing about this yet."

Her dad nodded knowingly. "Lead the way." He picked the box up of the ground. Ruby turned around and started walking back to her dorm room. She hoped Weiss and Blake wouldn't mind. They hadn't met her dad before, and Ruby had no idea how they'd react. Hopefully, they all got along at least somewhat well.

Ruby opened the door to her room. Weiss and Blake were sitting on Blake's bed. The heiress looked up at the team leader. "Ruby, I think we've found something," she said.

"Ooh, what is it?" Ruby asked as she walked into the room, her dad right behind her.

Weiss looked at Taiyang surprised. After a few seconds, she shook out of it and answered Ruby. "A Faunus soldier's perspective during the Battle of Fort Castle. It should help with our project."

"Great! One source down and five more to go…" Ruby's enthusiasm dropped all the way through that sentence. There was no project that dealt with that, so she just assumed that Weiss and Blake found something relating to their next mission.

"You didn't tell us you were bringing your guest up here," Blake said, eyeing Taiyang warily.

"We didn't know." Yang closed the door behind her. "Weiss, Blake, meet Ruby's and my dad."

"The name's Taiyang." He offered a hand to the two sitting teammates. Both of them shook it in turn. "I've heard great things about the two of you."

"Hopefully only good things," Blake said jokingly before shooting a glance at Ruby. The team leader gently shook her head, and that seemed to satisfy the secretive Faunus.

Taiyang turned around and looked at Ruby's hanging bed. He scratched his head as he looked at the suspended piece of furniture. "How is that even stable?"

Ruby smirked as she sat down on Weiss' bed. "How do you pack so much into tight spaces?"

Her dad shrugged. "Touché." He sat down to the right of Ruby and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Though it has gotten worse in the past week and a half, extra weight and all that." Ruby shrugged her right shoulder.

Taiyang nodded sadly. "Can I see them?"

Ruby hesitated, then pulled the glove off her metal hand. She also rolled up her sleeve to her shoulder, revealing the entirety of her bionic arm. Next she rolled up the right leg of her tights, but only to the knee. "They aren't much to look at, but they're better than nothing." She winced, suddenly regretting her choice of words. "Literally."

Her dad placed a hand on her metal forearm. "You can't feel this." It wasn't a question.

"Nope." Ruby shook her head. Her dad grabbed her chin and tilted her head up and to the side.

Taiyang looked intently at Ruby's right eye. His shoulders slumped. "You can notice the difference with your eye too."

"That's gotten better," Yang said. "I've looked into this too. Eyes need time to adjust to their host. In a few months, we shouldn't be able to tell unless we're right in her face."

"I am working on getting feeling back in my arm and leg too," Ruby added. "That's coming before I put a gun in either, by the way." Ruby saw two of her teammates across from her adjust how they were sitting.

Yang put a hand on her sister's leg. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you. Just, slow down a little alright."

Ruby looked at Yang's concerned face. At the same time, Cerise sent her own thoughts. _My Gem, listen to your sister. You haven't been sleeping well, and you've been neglecting your studies, not to mention your friends._

The red Rider turned in the direction of her dragon. _'Gem?' Isn't that that what mom…_

Cerise hummed over their mental link. _I believe it is._

Ruby externally sighed. "You're both right."

"Both?" her dad asked, confused.

"Probably Cerise," Yang stated.

"You get the hang of it after spending a few weeks around her," Weiss told Taiyang. "I swear, Ruby and Cerise have about as many silent conversations as ones the rest of us are involved in."

_You aren't far off,_ Cerise said, most likely including all those in the room.

There was a knock at the door, "You guys in there?" Aaron asked from the other side. "I got the game."

"Door's open," Yang called.

The doorknob turned and Aaron stepped in, the game's box carried in his right arm. "Sorry, I took so long. There was someone…" He stopped as he saw Taiyang. "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Ruby's and Yang's father." Taiyang stood up and took a few steps toward the newest person in the room. "I'm guessing you're Aaron, one of those who helped to save my little girl."

"Daaaad," Ruby moaned. Yang playfully shoved her sister's shoulder. As Ruby shoved Yang back, she caught a glimpse of Weiss and Blake's faces. They weren't trying to hold back laughs like expected, but jealous.

Aaron scratched the back of his head after her shook Taiyang's hand. "I did what I could. Just wish I could have done more."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said. "I'm fine, and now I can finally beat Yang in arm wrestling."

"Cheater," Yang mumbled.

"Anyway," Aaron said as he set the game down on a bookshelf, "sorry I'm late. There was someone outside the Dragonhouse wanting to talk with a Rider. General Ironwood, I believe it was."

"The general?" Weiss asked confused. "What's he doing here? Headmasters don't travel with their schools to the Vytal Festival."

Aaron shrugged. "I didn't ask. He just wanted to say that he was very impressed about how Nalia handled herself while taking on the Nevermores. Several thugs dropped their guns and ran when they saw her, and those who didn't were taken out quickly. Apparently she has a fear factor that Grimm and those metal-men can't match, and not a single casualty by her claws."

"Not one?" Blake asked for everyone in the room.

"Like I said before we went in, let them rot in jail. He also said something about reward money."

Yang perked up and looked up at Aaron. "I like the sound of that."

"Apparently we got the largest reward in four years," the green Rider continued. "Five-hundred-thousand Lien for the whole team, leaving us one-hundred-thousand each." Ruby saw Yang's jaw practically hit the floor, and the team leader felt butterflies in her stomach.

"One…hundred…_thousand?"_ Blake asked in total disbelief.

"_I've_ never even seen that much Lien," Weiss stated.

"Well that's the upgrades for Bumblebee paid off, and then some," Yang said with a smile on her face. She turned to Ruby. "What do you have to say about this? I figured you'd be bouncing off the walls by now."

Ruby stayed silent while she thought over what Aaron just said. _One-hundred-__**thousand?**_ Before she found Cerise, she would have run around the room cheering, maybe even up until she flew her dragon for the first time. Now, she wasn't so sure. She'd seen what she hoped was the worst of humanity. The things they did to those Faunus…Ruby clenched a fist. She didn't need the money. She didn't deserve it. "I don't want to see one Lien out of this."

The room sat silent for a few seconds. "Why?" Weiss finally asked. "This is how Huntsmen and Huntresses get paid."

"Not for this." Ruby fervently shook her head. "For defense against Grimm and petty criminals yes, not saving people from a place like that." She lay her natural hand on her metal arm. "I'm lucky enough to get these bionics, but those Faunus can't replace what they lost. They need that money, not me. It may not replace what they lost, but it's something."

Again, silence reigned in the room. After a few seconds, Yang pulled Ruby into a tight sideways hug. "That's my little sister," she said.

Taiyang again sat down at Ruby's side. "Your mother once said the same thing. She'd be proud of the Huntress you're becoming."

Ruby smiled, then put her metal arm around her dad, pulling him into the hug. Yang and Taiyang started squeezing, creating the infamous Ruby-Xiao Long sandwich. Normally it would have suffocated her, but this time if felt good, and she could breathe normally. _Best support group ever,_ Ruby thought. Then, something else hit her. "Wait, what about team Gray? They were there too."

The three then separated, and Aaron said, "Apparently, they declined the reward money and asked for something else instead. I believe Ironwood said they asked for-" He was cut off by someone in the doorway.

"Unrestricted flight access." Everyone turned to see Zach standing there. "Meaning that, so long as we get clearance for takeoff from air traffic control, and we aren't attempting to enter restricted airspace without a good reason, I.E. hospital airspace, then we can fly our G79H-TC/MA Pelican Gunship pretty much anywhere."

"Who might you be?" Taiyang asked.

"Zach Deeg, leader of team Gray."

"So, you're one of the other ones who helped to save Ruby."

"Yes, sir. In fact, I was the one to take the life of the asshole who had her kidnapped."

"You _killed_ someone?" He asked, slightly shocked.

"Yes, sir. The training I received before coming here taught me how and, more importantly, especially to you at the moment, **when** to kill." Zach answered.

"...Alright." Taiyang said somewhat hesitantly, then focused back on team RWBAY, "Well, I also planned on taking your team out for lunch, if you don't have anything else planned for the day." Then, looking back at Zach, said, "You and your team can come too, though I'm not sure that I would be able to afford to pay for both teams and transport back to Patch."

"We can pay for ourselves." He responded.

Ruby quickly scanned her teammates' faces. All of them wore their own versions of approval. She turned back to her dad. "Shake n Steak?"

"You know it."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ruby quickly rolled her sleeve and pant leg back down and put her glove back on. Those sitting down stood up and made for the door. As Ruby passed Aaron, she noted the smile of approval still plastered on his face. She figured it was because she was starting to emulate the Riders back in Alagaësia. There was something else there though that made her want to blush.

"My team'll drive." Zach said.

"NO!" Team RWB(A)Y exclaimed simultaneously.

"Why not?" Zach asked.

"We saw the footage of your team driving during initiation." Yang responded.

"That was an active combat zone!" Zach retorted. "If we weren't in an active combat zone at the time, we wouldn't have been driving like maniacs."

"Wait, you're team **drove** during initiation?!" Taiyang said, shocked.

"I teleported four M12B Warthogs, each armed with one M343A2 chain gun, into the forest after we rendezvoused with each other. We then proceeded to drive around the area, looking for the objective and mowing down everything that opposed us. Now that was fun." Zach recalled fondly.

"I still think that we have different definitions of that word." Aaron responded.

* * *

**And there's the chapter. So, a couple things have been revealed. Zach has revealed a bit about his past to Ruby. Ruby told Zach what she saw in her dreams that night. And the power I've given the Silver Eyed Warriors has been revealed in full.**

**Or has it?! ****I'm just kidding, it has.**


	21. Mission Start

Friday, September 25

POV: Ruby

Every member of team RWBAY either sat or stood in their main dorm room. No one wore their normal clothes. Ruby had the idea that they shouldn't look like themselves if they were going sneaking around. They all now wore mostly black and white. Of them all, Weiss looked the most normal. Then again, most of her clothes looked the same.

"I thought that class would never end," Blake said as she walked across the room.

"Alright guys, today's the day," Ruby said from her bunk. "The investigation begins!" She jumped down and landed right in front of Weiss.

"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously," Weiss mumbled.

"Hey, we've got a plan," Yang chipped in. "That's…moderately serious."

"Levity before a mission is a good thing," Aaron said while straightening his new black hat and sunglasses. "Keeps people from psyching themselves out."

"Right, everyone remember their roles?" Ruby looked to Weiss first.

"You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies, or inconsistencies," the heiress said. "Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

Blake put her hands behind her back. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

Yang crossed her arms cockily. "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

Aaron stood up from his chair. "Nalia, Cerise, and I will be waiting just outside the city in case anything goes wrong. We'll be ready for rapid air support and evac if necessary."

"Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found." Ruby stated confidently. She pumped a fist. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah," an unexpected voice said. Ruby turned to the window and saw Sun hanging upside down just outside.

"Sun?" Blake blurted out. All the girl members of team RWBAY took a quick and large step back. Aaron just shook his head.

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked, confused.

"Ah it's easy I do it all the time," Sun said with a little shrug.

"You do what?" Weiss exclaimed.

"I climb trees all the time." The heiress gave the monkey Faunus a scowl. Sun jumped in through the window. "So... are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

Blake stepped forward. "_We_ are going to investigate the situation, as a team."

"Sorry Sun," Ruby spoke up. "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."

"Plus, sometimes smaller operations can go smoother than larger ones," Aaron put out, a little bit of disappointment in his voice.

"Pfft, that's dumb," Sun shrugged off the advice. "You should always get friends involved. The more the merrier, right? That's why I brought Neptune." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

Curious, Ruby walked to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, Neptune stood on the small ledge dividing the second and third floors. "'Sup," the blue haired guy said.

"How did you even get up here," Ruby asked.

"I have my ways." Neptune suddenly looked down at the ground. "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now."

Ruby shot a look down at the ground, where Cerise and Halcyon currently lay. _You didn't help with this, did you? _she asked her dragon. Cerise simply shook her head. The Rider sighed then waved Neptune over. "Come on in, I don't want you falling." Neptune quickly shimmied his was across the ledge and Ruby pulled him in.

Considering the new people, Ruby quickly decided that most people would go in teams of two. "All right. I'll go with Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake. And Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner." Ruby physically pushed Neptune over to her sister.

"Actually Ruby," Weiss spoke up, "why don't you go with Yang? After all she is your sister."

Ruby finished pushing the statue of a guy and turned back to her partner. "But Weiss, who would go with you then?"

"Well, I guess Neptune could come with me." Weiss' cheeks turned a little red. Aaron smirked behind the heiress.

Ruby thought it over for a second, the laughed. "Nah." She grabbed Weiss' dress and pulled her partner out the door.

"But, but!" Weiss complained. A few feet down the hall, she gave in and started to walk on her own. "Why wouldn't you let me go with Neptune?"

"When was the last time we did something together? Plus, Yang wasn't exactly subtle at that club last time either. I'd rather not have to fight anybody right now if I don't have to. I need more practice with these things." Ruby shook her metal arm.

Weiss paused, then sighed. "True." The partners left the dorm and started making their way toward the CCT in the center of campus. Before they could get far, Cerise came up and nuzzled her Rider's left arm.

_Be safe out there,_ Ruby told her dragon. _Do whatever Nalia says, and don't attract attention to yourself._

Cerise puffed hot air through her nostrils at her Rider. _I'll be fine. Aaron and Nalia know what they're doing. They act like it anyway._

Ruby smiled, then she heard light roar. Halcyon soon came into view flying over Beacon. _Where's he going?_

_He's going hunting. Young dragons need to eat._

_That they do. You should probably get going too. _Cerise turned around and took flight in the direction of the Dragonhouse. Soon after, Weiss and Ruby continued toward the CCT. When they got close, Ruby had a small geek out session. She liked to think of herself as an aspiring engineer, and everything that went into the building excited her.

"The only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much," Weiss said after a little teasing from Ruby. "We could've just as easily made a call from the library."

"I know but it's so cool! Oh! I'm going to take a picture!" Ruby took out her scroll, but it slipped in her metal fingers, even though they were gloved. She tried to catch it, and she ended up flinging it away several feet. It hit the ground hard, and Ruby hoped the screen didn't break. She just got a new one after she lost her first on that beach.

A girl with bright orange hair picked up the scroll and offered it back to Ruby. "You dropped this," she said.

Ruby instantly recognized her. "Penny?" Penny froze up. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks."

"S-sorry. I think you're confused," Penney said. She hiccupped, and accidentally lobbed the scroll into Ruby's hands. "Uh, I've got to go." She turned around and walked away from the two partners.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Ruby confidently said. "You go make your call, I'll catch up with you later." She jogged to catch up with Penny, who thankfully hadn't gotten too far. "Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"

"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Penny said indifferently. She started walking away again.

"What? Penny, is everything okay?" The girl kept walking. Ruby couldn't believe it. This was not the same girl she met all those weeks ago. She hesitantly extended her mind toward Penny's. She did not find what she expected. Her mind was there, open like anyone else's, but there was something…missing from Penny. Ruby couldn't pin it down, but there was a gap where…_something_ should have been.

Still, something was troubling Penny, and Ruby needed to find out what. "Penny, please stop!" She ran up and grabbed Penny's arm. "Look, I don't know what's wrong. But you have to listen to me. Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big. Something bad! I need you to tell me what happened to you that night. Please. As a friend."

Penny sighed then looked around herself. She closed the distance between her and Ruby. "It isn't safe to talk here. Meet me at the place we first met in an hour." Again, Penny walked off, but Ruby didn't chase after her. At least now she had a plan.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron lay beneath Nalia's wing, reading a book on what the people of Remnant called computers. He'd read a lot about history, science, even some mythology, but he hadn't gotten to any of what he considered 'fun' topics. There was so much that he didn't know about what many considered normal lifestyle. Aaron might be in Vale for a while, and he didn't want to stick out any more than he already did.

_I might just have to get one of these someday,_ he mused to Nalia.

The dragon huffed. _Do what you want. I can't use most of the things here anyway._

_You can still use my eyes, and we have that projector._ Across the clearing, Cerise turned her neck on the direction of Beacon. A few grumbling and whining noises came from the red dragon. After a few seconds, she settled back down. _Everything alright Cerise?_

_I'm not sure,_ the young dragon replied. _Ruby met a friend outside the tower, who was acting strangely. She says that her friend's mind was missing something, but couldn't tell what. Both of them are meeting in the city in an hour._

Aaron put down his book, and thought it over. Ruby was technically going against the mission she set forward. In all reality though, she wasn't working against it. Weiss was really the only one needed to make the call to the Schnee Dust Company. After that, their part of the mission was over. Aaron just shrugged. If Ruby's friend needed help, that's where Ruby needed to be.

Nalia laid her head down to look Aaron in the eye. _Have you thought about what General Ironwood said yet?_

The Rider sighed._ Remember when I thought people being less paranoid would be a good thing, I was wrong. People here are too trusting. You'd think a general would take some time before offering us that._

_It's not like he was offering it for free._

_But why would he want your scales? It's not like they can do anything to stop Dust rounds._

Nalia huffed._ Are you really comparing my scales to Cerise'? Mine are much more developed. Anyway, I'm more concerned about why he wants a 'sample of my blood.'_

_You have a point there._ Aaron sighed and leaned back into his dragon's belly. _If I'm remembering right, blood tests here can identify how a person is…constructed. Also, it could determine any…genetic problems._

_They don't want to make another me, do they?_ Nalia squirmed a little at her own thought.

_I don't think that's possible…yet anyway. _Aaron paused._ What about this 'Black Queen' he mentioned?_

Nalia growled slightly._ She is a very dangerous person that needs to be stopped. If the general asks for help from those he doesn't know, he must be truly desperate._

_Well, we do have some advantages that his soldiers don't. Mainly, we can read minds. If the Black Queen is undercover, and has been for a while, we could potentially spot her before anyone else can._

_Yes, but is it worth being that invasive? If she's good enough to hide for years, can we find her by just glancing over people's emotions?_

Nalia stayed silent for a few seconds. _All that for free flight across Remnant and armor? It would protect us from Dust rounds, and the enhancements the general mentioned would be very useful. Cerise wouldn't lose as many scales either._

_Highly advanced armor and free flight in exchange for intruding on people's privacy to take out a threat._ Aaron sighed. _I don't like it. If we do this, we have better chances of focusing on the wrong person I don't know how many times until we find the right person. If we don't, we potentially alienate Atlas, and we lose flight area over other parts of Remnant._

_Not to mention leaving Cerise potentially defenseless. _Nalia looked at the red dragon, who looked like she was trying to take a nap.

_I really need to teach Ruby how to regrow scales. _Aaron sighed and scratched the back of his head. _When do we need to have our answer to him?_

_Before the week is out. _Nalia hummed her discomfort. _If the Black Queen is as dangerous as the general says, we may have to fight her someday anyway._

_So we say yes, and we take the reward when the job's done? That's not what Riders do._

_But it's what Huntsmen do, and technically you're training to be one._

Aaron sighed. _So, we reject part of who we are as Dragon and Rider, or we severely restrict ourselves along with allowing Cerise to be exposed._ He shook his head. _Either way, we lose something._

* * *

POV: Ruby

For almost the entirety of the last hour, Ruby tried to figure out what exactly Penny was missing. Somewhere along the way, she gently brushed against the minds of a few other people. They all had everything she came to expect, but the part she sensed in Penny was weaker in most of them. As Ruby passed a few students from Beacon, she went through the same process. The part they had in common with Penny was stronger than most people, and on par with the girl. After a few minutes of thinking and comparing, she decided that it was most likely a person's Aura she was feeling. Still, that didn't answer what Penny was missing. What _could_ be missing?

Unfortunately, the time for thinking was up. Ruby rounded a corner and saw Penny standing stiffly in front of a café. The red Rider put on a smile, then put a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Penny jumped from the unexpected contact and looked at Ruby. Something really had her jumpy. "Walk and talk?" Ruby offered.

Penny nodded. "I'd rather not stay in the same place for long." The two started walking down the street. Ruby didn't say anything, hoping Penny would say what was on her mind. After about a block, Penny finally spoke. "I wish I could help you Ruby. But I don't know anything about those men."

"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby asked. "We were all together and then you just disappeared. Were you kidnapped? That's been a real problem recently." Again, Ruby felt like she needed to think about what she said before she said it. She shook her head to hopefully get some of the memories out. Thankfully, Cerise was paying attention and helped keep those awful thoughts out of her head.

"Oh no, nothing like that!" Penny insisted. If she noticed Ruby's reaction, she didn't let on.

"Well then where did you go?" Ruby asked while snapping back into reality.

"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but, oh you have to understand, my father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."

"Believe me, I know the feeling." When Ruby first called her dad after getting back from that place, he was flipping between rage and depression. All of it screamed that he either wanted Ruby to come home immediately, or that he wanted to get a job at Beacon just so he could keep a closer eye on his daughters. Still, she knew he only had good intentions. "But, why not let us know you were okay?"

"I, was asked, not to talk to you. Or Weiss... or Blake... or Yang. Anybody really."

"Was your dad that upset?"

"No, it wasn't my father." The pair started to walk by a small plaza, and there was some type of demonstration going on. Six of the standard AK130 security androids stood in front of two other containers. In between the robot soldiers, a hologram of a man in an Atlas military uniform. It took a second for Ruby to realize that the man was General Ironwood.

The two containers opened up revealing six new robots, which the general referred to as Atlesian Knight 200s. Ruby's eyes were fixed on the new robot soldiers. They were so sleek, so clean, and most likely more deadly toward Grimm. The 130s had proved effective against Grimm for years. The 200s must be improved in almost every way.

The general said a few more things that Ruby didn't quite hear because she was so focused on the androids. "Ruby," Penny said cautiously, snapping Ruby's attention from the display, at least temporarily.

"So, our kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company are proud to introduce," General Ironwood stated, "the Atlesian Paladin!" He disappeared and a giant mech took his place. Ruby's eyes widened and she slumped over. She swore she had a little droll coming out the corner of her mouth.

"Whoa," Ruby said out loud. _I want one,_ she told Cerise.

The dragon huffed over their link._ Good luck with that._

"Ruby," Penny said, a little fear in her voice, "Maybe we should go somewhere else..."

Again, Ruby snapped herself out of her trance. She saw some soldiers point at Penny, and start moving in her direction. Soon after, Penny turned around and ran across the street. "Penny? Wait! Where are you going?" Ruby called, but Penny never slowed down. The Rider turned back around and saw the soldiers now running at full tilt.

Ruby turned herself and ran after Penny. _Cerise, I may need an Evac soon._

_I'm in the air,_ the dragon responded. Ruby chased Penny down several back alleys and across another street, but the soldiers stayed on her tail. Up ahead, the Rider saw a stack of boxes on top of a shoddy wooden platform. She whipped out Crescent Rose and cut one of the legs off the stand. As the boxes fell, she saw the label 'breakable things' on all the boxes. Ruby winced, knowing she just cost someone a lot of money.

Ruby saw another turn off up ahead, but there was no way she was going to catch up with Penny before it if she just ran normally. In a split-second decision, Ruby started running on the wall got get an angle at Penny. She used her Semblance to jump off the wall and grab the other girl. "This way," Ruby told Penny. She looked down the alley and searched deep inside herself to get the necessary energy and Aura for what she was about to do. Ruby jumped off the wall again using her Semblance.

The maneuver took a lot out of her though. The two girls fell to the ground sooner than Ruby expected. Penny stayed pretty much where she fell, while Ruby tumbled and rolled out of the alley and into the street. She sat up and rubbed her head where it took a rather nasty hit.

Then Ruby heard something you never want to hear laying in the middle of the road: a truck's horn. She turned around and placed the joints of her metal arm and leg together, hoping all those movie moments where cars just bent around the bionic limbs weren't exaggerations. _RUBY! _Cerise called, pure panic in her mental voice.

Suddenly Ruby was pushed from the side and out of the path of the truck. She looked up just in time to see Penny get hit by a truck full force. Instead of just running over Penny, the vehicle completely left the ground, the back end rising over eight feet off the street. The road crumbled beneath the girl's feet, and Penny seemed no worse for wear. The van once again met road, and Ruby stood stunned. "Penny…"

Penny turned her attention to the driver. "Are you okay?" she asked. The driver nodded, and the girl backed away from the van. She looked at Ruby, then her hands. Again, she ran past Ruby and down another alley. The Rider followed after her friend again. She looked back only once and saw the soldiers had reached the crashed van.

A few alleys later, Penny stopped, most likely to catch her breath. Ruby finally caught up with her, and said, "Penny!" The other girl turned to face Ruby. "Why are you running? How did you do that?" She gestured back toward the alley they both came from.

"I-I can't. Everything's fine!" Penny stuttered, right before a hiccup. She hugged herself. "I-I don't want to talk about it." She hiccupped again.

"Penny if you can just tell me what's wrong I can help you."

Penny turned away from Ruby. "No, no no, you wouldn't understand."

Ruby hesitated for just a second. "I've seen and experienced things that most people can't imagine. I can try."

Penny turned back to face Ruby and closed the distance. "You're my friend, right? You promise you're my friend?"

"I promise."

The other girl hesitated. "Ruby," Penny said, then opened up her hands, "I'm not a real girl.

Ruby's eyes grew wide as she looked at several gaps in Penny's skin. Where blood and bone should have been, only metal plates and joints showed. "Oh," was all Ruby could say for several seconds.

_Ruby! _Cerise called. The Rider looked up and saw her dragon flying directly overhead. _Are you alright? _Her concern rolled off her like a river.

_I'm fine, but now's probably not the time to be flying right overhead._

_Are those soldiers a problem?_ The dragon growled a little.

_No, no! I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, just don't be seen flying right overhead._

Cerise huffed, then flew off. _Fine, but you're not leaving my side when we get back to Beacon._

Ruby focused her attention back on Penny. The robot girl was staring up at where Cerise was only moments before. "Don't worry about her, she's with me," Ruby soothed. Penny dropped her gaze and focused back on Ruby. "Now what do you mean you're not a 'real girl'?"

"Most girls are born, but I was made," Penny responded. "I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura. I'm not real." The first parts were said with confidence and pride, but all that fell away with the last three words.

Not willing to see someone else going through that kind of pain, Ruby acted. She put her hands over Penny's. As she did, she couldn't help but think how real her 'skin' felt. "Of course you are. You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

"I don't, um..." Penny leaned in closer to Ruby. "You're taking this extraordinarily well."

Ruby freed her hands and took off the glove on her right hand. She also rolled up her sleeve. To her surprise, Penny _didn't _act surprised. "I'm not exactly one to judge. My right leg and eye are the same. But they still need my mind to run them. You aren't like those empty shells back there. You've got a mind, a heart, and soul. I can feel it."

A smile returned to Penny's face and she placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Oh! Oh Ruby!" She pulled the Rider into a hug that rivaled Yang's. "You're the best friend anyone could have!" Penny shook Ruby from side to side.

"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower." Ruby was able to get out through the suffocation. Penny let go, and they started having a normal conversation. The android girl talked about her father, and her ties to the Atlas military. She mentioned something about saving the world, but that didn't sit right with Ruby. _Does she mean from the Flood?_ Ruby thought for a brief second, before dismissing the idea. "Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace."

Penny scrunched up her eyes. "That's not what Mr. Ironwood said." Suddenly, voices came from down the alley Ruby and Penny ran down. Penny again put her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "You have to hide!" She forcefully picked up Ruby.

"Gah, Penny! What are you doing? You don't have to go with them. I can help you!" Ruby struggled while Penny walked. After a few seconds, she was thrown into a nearby dumpster. Thankfully, it was mostly empty.

"It's okay Ruby, they're not bad people. I just don't want you to get in trouble. Just promise me you won't tell anyone about my secret."

Ruby nodded. "And you don't tell anyone about mine." Penny closed the dumpster over Ruby's head. The Rider stayed in the dumpster, but opened the top slightly to listen in to what the soldiers and Penny were talking about. Just as the android said, the soldiers were nice people, and they didn't raise their voices at all. They all left the alley together without making a scene.

A rat squeaked in the dumpster. Ruby looked down and saw one nearly crawling on her lap. She let the dumpster cover go and she brushed the animal off. "Slytha," she whispered, and the rat quickly fell asleep.

Ruby sighed, and she tried to piece together what she just learned. Penny was an android that had a soul. That confirmed what Ruby felt before was Aura. If she had to guess now what Penny didn't have, it would be an actual life force. "Note to self," she said, "test life force theory on Grimm." The note appeared in Ruby's vision.

Right after that disappeared, an envelope replaced it in the top right corner of her vision. She blinked to open it, and a text message appeared. It read 'Sorry for assuming, but I know the shortfalls of bionics. I hope this helps. Penny.' Ruby saw an attachment to the text, and opened that as well.

What she saw took her breath away. Ruby covered her mouth and tried to hold back tears. Cerise noticed her Rider's change in mood._ Ruby, what's wrong?_ she asked.

_Nothing. Nothing at all._ Ruby looked over the schematics intently. It was modeled after a human, and it apparently worked. Penny had a fully functional nervous system, and she just gave Ruby a way to incorporate it into her arm and leg. It was built into a synthetic skin as well.

Ruby couldn't help but smile and laugh. She was easily one step closer to getting her 'normal knees' back.

Cerise hummed over their mental link._ My Gem, I am so happy for you._

_Thank you._ Ruby closed the text and pulled out her scroll. She began searching the net for the necessary supplies to make it work. The Rider stayed in that dumpster for who knew how long. Eventually she left because her back was starting to ache.

Just as she got out, her scroll rang with Blake's ringtone. Ruby hit the answer button. "Everyone! If you can hear me we need back-"

"HEEELLLPPP!" Sun interrupted. "They got a robot, and it's big, really big!"

That was more than enough for Ruby. _Cerise, now I need that pickup._

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron jumped into his dragon's saddle, and Nalia leaped into the air soon after. The green dragon angled toward Blake's and Sun's last known position. _You ready to take on whatever this big robot is?_ Aaron asked.

_There's nothing on land that can out speed me, _the cocky dragon replied, _especially not one of those walking pieces of metal._

The Rider smirked then cast his mind out ahead. He instantly found Blake and Sun, and there was only one hostile person directly behind them. Aaron then searched back to where the White Fang meeting took place. Several of the terrorists were planning to pursue. Aaron tightened this grip on Redemption. _Drop me off by the White Fang. I'll take them out._

_Are you sure? There's hordes of them down there._

_There are only five that are going to give chase. The rest are running. I'm sure I can handle that many. _Nalia nodded, then flew with all possible speed toward the White Fang's warehouse. As they approached, Aaron saw a large crowd of people running from the building. Some of them wore the standard grunt uniform, but most were in regular clothes.

Nalia flipped upside down, and Aaron jumped out of the saddle. He flipped around in the air and landed hard on his feet. His knees bent almost to the ground. The Rider slowly stood up and drew his sword. The five White Fang soldiers that were planning to pursue Blake and Sun drew their own weapons and aimed them at Aaron.

No one moved a muscle. Aaron could feel the tension in the air. The soldiers would fire their weapons at the slightest move the Rider made. "I cannot allow you to leave this place," Aaron said, still not raising his sword.

One of the soldiers laughed. "You and what army?"

"Underestimating your opponent is a sure way to get killed." Aaron took his own advice and sized up his opponents. They all carried assault rifles and had them aimed at the Rider. Assorted melee weapons were attached at their hips or across their backs. Only two of them appeared physically fit enough to prove a slight challenge when Aaron got in close. One member of the five was young, and his rifle was shaking. He was likely to flee when fighting inevitably broke out.

The young soldier lowered his weapon slightly. "Wait, you're one of the ones who took out that Nevermore warehouse," he said, stuttering. "Whose side are you on anyway?" His voice cracked halfway through.

"I'm on the side of the innocent, I don't care what race they are."

Another soldier spoke up. "There are no innocent humans. They're all the same!"

Aaron narrowed his eyes at the man, and called back a news report he heard during his first week in Vale. "That car bomb near a public park? How many children did you kill that day? How many families did you tear apart?"

The youngest Faunus froze in place, while the others tightened their grip on their weapons. "You're. All. The. Same," the first soldier who spoke said, right before he pulled the trigger.

Luckily, Aaron was in that soldier's mind and saw where he was aiming. He dodged out of the bullet's path and finally rose Redemption. "Agree to disagree." He charged straight toward the firing line, through five streams of bullets. His wards against Dust drained rapidly, but they were enough. Sometimes appearing invincible was enough to drain an opponent's morale.

Aaron was in full combat mode now. Training took over. Once the bullets started flying, there was no time for magic. He reached melee range and swung at the soldier on the right end of the formation. The Faunus' armor proved useless as Redemption cut right through it and the man's Aura, if he had any. The sword came out more red than when it went in. The Rider heard the distinct sound of a sword being drawn to his left and swung in that direction. The soldier barely managed to get his weapon up to block, and even then he was almost cut by his own blade.

The Rider heard and felt more bullets being fired behind him. The wards specifically cast to deal with Dust failed, leaving him to rely only on is untested Aura. Aaron disengaged from the swordsman and turned on the honorless Faunus. He cut the weapon in half, then shoved the pommel of Redemption into the soldier's face. The Faunus' nose broke, with other fractures and breaks likely. He slumped to the ground and didn't move.

Aaron turned back around and saw the swordsman from before standing beside a soldier with a battleax. Both attacked the Rider at the same time, but their coordination was off. They attacked roughly the same spot instead of dividing their attacks. Aaron was easily able to block both strikes. He drew back Redemption and jumped to the left. The swordsman was now isolated.

The Rider swiftly attacked the soldier. The Faunus clearly wasn't experienced. He was slow and blocking at all the wrong angles. His positioning left him open to attack more often than not. After a short skirmish, Aaron deflected a clumsy strike, then slashed the soldier across the chest. He screamed and fell to the ground.

The axe man roared in rage and swung his weapon at Aaron. The strike was stronger than Aaron expected, but not even close to the strength of some of the dwarves he sparred with. The soldier was faster though, and for the first time the Rider was forced to defend himself from repeated blows. However, he had a similar problem to Ruby: he focused too much on attack and he didn't defend himself. Aaron sidestepped a particularly vicious blow and stabbed the soldier through the gut.

Aaron withdrew his sword and looked at the last soldier standing. His rifle and sword were laying on the ground. The youngest White Fang soldier was slowly taking steps backward. "You _are_ all the same," he said, then he turned and ran.

As Aaron's adrenaline rush wore off, he looked at his sword. He froze. Not only was there blood on the blade, but on the pommel, and his hands. He looked down at the ground. Four Faunus lay unmoving on the ground. While trying to take a breath, Aaron stretched his mind out to those on the ground. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Four more people he killed.

Four more lives he stole.

_Aaron, don't do it!_ Nalia called. Aaron ignored his dragon. She had less blood on her claws than he did. She was a dragon. They weren't supposed to care as much. They had to kill to eat. Aaron though, hated it. He hated that people killed each other all the time. He hated that killing was sometimes necessary to save others. He hated that he stole the lives of so many people.

_Aaron snap out of it! You don't have to do this!_ Nalia cried, again ignored by her Rider. Aaron faced the first Faunus he killed. He didn't care if the man was a terrorist. Even they had a family, friends. Everyone had people that would miss them if they died.

_Listen to me Aaron! Don't make the same mistake again!_ Nalia was growing frantic, but Aaron still ignored his dragon. With a few words, he removed all the blood from his sword and otherwise cleansed it. He sheathed Redemption and reached into his jacket. When he withdrew it, a knife rested in his hand. The only blade that had ever tasted his blood.

_Aaron, PLEASE!_ Nalia wailed, and Aaron completely shut her out right afterward.

He looked straight at the face of the first Faunus he killed. "I'm sorry," he said, then he rolled up the left side sleeves of his jacket and T-shirt. Fourteen scars were revealed, and Aaron proceeded to add four more.

* * *

POV: Ruby

"Well, that was something," Ruby said as her team, plus Gray team left the city.

"Aura or not, I'm going to be feeling that in the morning," Yang said as she leaned backward, most likely trying to crack her back. "I'd rather not be hit through another concrete pillar any time soon."

"Either of you know why Nalia flew off like that right as she got there?" Weiss asked.

Ruby thought back to that moment. "She seemed pretty spooked by something…Cerise, you get anything else?"

_If I got anything out of her before she shut me out,_ Cerise started, _she was scared, but not for herself._

"Aaron? I'm sure he can take care of himself." Yang rolled her shoulders out as she talked.

"Judging by the direction Nalia flew," Blake finally spoke up, "Aaron might have been facing a lot of White Fang."

"What did you see there anyway?" the team leader asked. Blake went on to describe the meeting Sun and she attended. Torchwick was there, and apparently his involvement with the White Fang was bigger than anticipated. Also, the criminal made it sound like there were even more hostile Paladins out there. One was hard enough to take down, what if there were many at the same time? Again, Ruby wished she had access to one of those things, now to know how to take them apart.

"How does Miss Umbrella fit into this?" Yang asked no one in particular.

Blake saw fit to answer. "She was at the meeting as well. Didn't say anything there either."

"Back to the fight," Weiss changed the subject, "I think the team attacks worked out fairly well for the first time out in the field."

"They could be better though," Ruby said, going back into leader mode. "We took a few unnecessary hits in there." She then took most of the rest of the walk back to Beacon to go over missteps and mistakes. Everyone's mistakes were noted, even her own. She really needed to get some more training with her bionic limbs. Weiss, of course, payed extremely close attention to everything Ruby said. Yang switched between working her back and listening, but that was only when she was the focus. Blake seemed to be in her own little world, only nodding occasionally.

After Ruby exhausted all of her suggestions, she started thinking about adding some new team attacks. Aaron needed to be included somehow. The dragons could participate too, but they would be the size of Ursa Majors soon enough, and close coordination would prove to be impossible. They could work together, but not exactly side by side with the smaller members of the team. Maybe Aaron and Nalia could come up with something.

After several minutes of walking and talking with the team, Ruby began to feel the strain in her natural leg. It had been a long day of running and fighting. Thankfully, Beacon's gates came into view.

"I forgot how long this road was," Ruby complained.

"Getting too used to riding Cerise?" Weiss asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Come on Ruby, you can't be that out of touch yet," Yang teased.

"Trust me Yang, when you get up there with Halcyon, you'll want to fly everywhere with him too." Ruby smiled up at her sister.

_The air is so free, you'll love it up here,_ Cerise chipped in from right above the four teammates. _I believe you want to go skydiving as well. You can't do that from the ground._

"I'm still mad at the both of you for that." Yang glared at Ruby.

The younger sister laughed then turned to Blake. "You still awake Blake? You haven't said anything for a while."

The Faunus shook her head like she _was_ shaking off sleep. "I told you what I saw at the meeting right?"

"Yeah, but that's it," Weiss commented. "You aren't the biggest talker, but you're being quiet, even for you." Blake just looked away and said nothing.

Ruby exchanged glances with Yang and Weiss, then sighed. They weren't going to get anything out of Blake tonight. The ten entered Beacon's campus and made their way to the Dragonhouse. Cerise landed right outside. The main door of the Dragonhouse opened.

Soon after, Nalia landed right beside Cerise. Aaron slowly climbed out of the saddle. Ruby could tell right away something was off. "Everything go alright on your end?" she asked.

Aaron barely looked up from the ground. "Everything went smoothly," he said. His tone suggested the opposite. Nalia moved her head right by her Rider's and the two walked slowly into the Dragonhouse together.

Ruby watched the two confused, and a little scared. Cerise and she were like that for a few days after she was rescued. Did something happen to Aaron? He wasn't limping, but Nalia did nudge his left arm a few times with her snout.

Nalia's head suddenly shot up and looked at the far end of the Dragonhouse. She crossed the distance in two bounds. Cerise looked in that direction as well, and her wings drooped. _No…_ she thought.

Ruby looked at her dragon, then sent her mind over to the spot where Nalia and Cerise were looking. It took her a few seconds to realize that was the spot where Aaron found a weak spot in the concrete and buried the last egg in the floor to protect it.

It took her a few seconds more to figure out there was nothing there. The mind of the dragon in the egg was nowhere to be found.

Ruby sprinted to the spot, leaving rose petals in her wake. She knelt down by the hole in the floor and looked inside, hoping to see egg shells nestled in a repurposed saddlebag. To her dismay, there was only dirt in the hole.

A growl started behind Ruby. She turned around to see Nalia snarling, her pupils no more than slits. She radiated anger and hatred. Her growl slowly grew louder and louder. Suddenly pointed her head to the ceiling and roared. Ruby covered her ears and leaned away from the roar, hoping that would help. The roar stopped and Nalia rapidly turned around. She bounded out of the Dragonhouse and took flight.

When the enraged dragon was out of sight, Ruby took her hands off her ears, expecting to see blood on the gloves. Luckily, there was none, but she still couldn't hear a thing. She looked back at the entrance and saw most of her team, with Gray team in tow, running toward her. Cerise was nowhere in sight. Ruby tried to find her with her mind, but met a solid wall.

Yang slid to a stop beside Ruby and put her hands on her sister's shoulders. Her lips moved, but Ruby couldn't hear a thing. The younger sister just shook her head and pointed to an ear. _What happened?_ Yang asked with her mind.

_The egg's gone,_ Ruby responded. Yang's eyes widened and she looked into the hole. She stood up, and her lips and eyelids trembled. Her eyes flashed red for a second, then she fired a shell from Ember Celica into the hole. She stormed away, past a very shocked Weiss and Blake.

Ruby searched the Dragonhouse for Aaron, and saw him kneeling on the floor his head hung. She got up from where she was sitting and ran over to the other Rider. "Aaron, what do we do?" she asked, or at least that's what she hoped she was saying.

Aaron looked up at Ruby with a thousand-yard stare. _We can't do anything until our dragons calm down._ He slowly stood up and walked away, leaving Ruby standing alone. She looked back at Weiss and Blake who were standing in the same place as before. They looked like they wanted to help, but what could they do? They might know that the egg was the last one, but they didn't know what that meant to the dragons. Ruby didn't even pretend to know. The only ones that knew were either off sulking or raging.

Ruby hung her head in defeat. _So much for ending the day on a high note._

* * *

**FYI, I tried adding my OCs to this chapter, but it just didn't feel right. On top of that, if I added them, then either the paladin fight would have been much easier, or the paladin would need to be a lot tougher to kill, which; Yeah, no. Not doing the latter for sure.**


	22. Cracks

**Sorry for not uploading in a while, but my brain has been a bit fried in the writing department as of late.**

* * *

Friday, September 25

POV: Ruby

Ruby woke up and nearly hit her head on the ceiling from sitting up so fast. She breathed hard and heavy, and her entire body shook uncontrollably. When she finally regained control of her limbs, she brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them. The Rider stretched out her mind to find Cerise, but all she felt was a wall of anger and sadness.

Someone else brushed against her mind. _Ruby, you okay?_ The young girl turned to see Yang propped up on her elbows on top of her own bed.

_Not really,_ Ruby sent back. _I saw them all again…_

Even in the dark, Ruby could see Yang's eyes soften. _Sorry, you wouldn't have wanted me in your head tonight anyway. My heads not in the right spot after all that happened yesterday._

_Why are you awake now anyway?_

Yang lay her head back on her pillow. _Cerise attacked Halcyon not too long ago._

_What?_ Ruby was so shocked, she almost said it out loud. Weiss and Blake didn't need to hear what was going on. Again, Ruby tried to reach her dragon, but got the same result as before. _Does he know why?_

_Cerise blames him for the egg being stolen. _Yang shuddered. _He blames himself too. When he returned from hunting, the egg was already gone._

_Is he okay?_

_He says not to worry about it; it's just a scratch. But…I felt it._ Yang grabbed her left arm. _I still feel it. It's worse than he's letting on._

Ruby grew confused. _Why didn't I feel anything? Halcyon had to do something to her._

_He didn't fight back._ Yang closed her eyes. _He said he couldn't hurt family._

Ruby skipped a breath, then looked down at her legs. _I'm sorry Cerise attacked Halcyon._

_Don't be. From what I'm getting from Halcyon, dragons value eggs almost as much as they value their Riders. You know how much they love us better than I do. I almost went off the deep end when you went missing._ Yang paused in her thoughts. _How long do you think Cerise is going to be like that?_

_I don't know,_ Ruby looked out the window. _I've never seen her like this before. How was she when I was, you know…_

_She was injured and exhausted. I don't think she was capable of doing anything more than flinging that scientist guy into another building. But she did try to fly after you._

Ruby tightened her grip around her legs. _I can't say I'm sorry he's gone._ She stayed silent as she fought back memories of that prison. Soon after, Yang stepped up to help fight them off. Just by helping fend off the nightmares the past two weeks, she knew as much about Ruby's time in captivity as Cerise. The only downside Ruby saw was that Yang turned a little more protective than usual.

_Maybe we should try and get some sleep,_ Yang suggested. _I have a feeling Halcyon and Cerise will need us in the morning._

_Don't go too far._ Ruby lay back down in her bed. _I don't want to see any of that again. _She closed her eyes. As she finally drifted off to sleep, she felt Yang's mind close by to help fend off the nightmares for yet another night.

* * *

Saturday, September 26

POV: Yang

Yang stretched in the center of team RWBY's room. No matter what she did though, she couldn't get that kink out of her back. "Hey Ruby, could you give me a hand here?" she asked her little sister.

Ruby turned around from her dresser and smirked. "Sure." She gripped her bionic hand and sharply twisted it to the right. The hand popped off, and Ruby underhanded the detached appendage to Yang. The blonde barely caught it, and stared at the hand with a mixture of discomfort and pride.

"You've been waiting to do that for a while, haven't you?" Weiss asked from her bed.

"Yep. Found that out by accident four days ago. Scared me for a few seconds, but then I saw it easily snaps back in."

"Modular?" Yang asked as she tossed the hand back.

"Makes sense. I won't stay the same size forever, and that makes upgrading easier." Ruby smirked as she reattached her hand. "It'll also make it easier to put a gun in this thing later on. Now where exactly is that knot in your back?"

Yang turned around and placed a hand about halfway up her back and slightly to the right. "About here."

"Okay, hold still." About a second later, Yang felt a fist slam into her back, and she could hear as well as feel her back crack. She breathed a sigh of relief and gave Ruby a thumbs up. "Try not to get slammed into any more concrete support columns."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Yang heard the door to their room open, then close. She looked around the room, and saw that the Faunus member of the team was the only one unaccounted for. "Anyone know where Blake's going?"

"Breakfast?" Ruby chipped in, though unconfident.

"You're the only one to eat breakfast here, Ruby," Weiss said.

"True…Maybe she's going to look up what she found yesterday?"

"That would make sense," Yang mused. "She is the book worm."

_Yang,_ Halcyon called, _I come home._

His Rider turned in the direction of the thoughts. _I think you mean 'I'm coming home.' How's your leg?_

Halcyon sent sad thoughts, and stopped holding his pain back. _More bad I thought._

Yang grabbed her left arm and winced. _Get to the Dragonhouse and I'll see what I can do._ She sighed and turned to Ruby. "Cerise still blocking you?"

Ruby's smile disappeared off her face. "Yeah, but her defenses aren't as strong as they were last night. I think she's coming out of it."

"If they're going this crazy because an egg was stolen," Weiss began, "I really don't want to see them if one of you gets hurt, for multiple reasons."

"You and me both." Ruby hugged herself. "I just can't imagine Cerise attacking anyone, even with some of the things she's said recently."

"I'm going to go meet Halcyon at the Dragonhouse," Yang said heading for the door. "Hopefully find out what really happened last night."

"You know how badly Halcyon's injured?" Ruby asked.

"Injured?" Weiss asked surprised. Ruby winced, most likely forgetting that Weiss didn't know exactly what happened.

"I'm guessing broken leg." Yang grabbed her corresponding arm.

"What happened?" Weiss cut in again, her voice dripping with concern.

Yang and Ruby locked eyes for a second, then Yang looked at Weiss. "He was searching for the egg and he landed too fast at just the wrong angle on a rock."

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "I guess he is only a few weeks old. Still a lot to learn."

"I should probably come along too," Ruby said, putting a hand behind her neck. "Be there when Cerise gets back and all that."

Yang nodded. "I could probably use help on Halcyon's leg anyway." The two sisters left their room and made their way toward the exit. Ruby stopped right outside Aaron's room though. "Ruby, I think he just needs some time. I can guarantee you he took the theft harder than we did."

"It wasn't just that," Ruby said as she started walking again. "He was acting strangely before we knew the egg was gone. Something happened when he was facing the White Fang, but I have no idea what."

"When in doubt, turn to the news. A giant robot rampaging around Vale and a partial highway collapse had to have media interest."

"Wouldn't that take _all_ the interest?"

"That robot had to come from somewhere." The two sisters exited their dorm building, and Yang saw Halcyon flying low near the Dragonhouse, most likely wanting to land. As he started to descend, Yang sped up her pace. She didn't care if her dragon's leg was just bruised, it would hurt when he touched down, even if it didn't touch down first.

Yang reached Halcyon right before he touched down. She caught his left side on her shoulder. _I got you. Let's get you inside, I'll work on your leg there._

_Thank you,_ Halcyon said, relieved. Yang quickly realized that carrying and injured dragon was not the easiest thing to do. Then again, if Ruby did it nearly a month ago, she could too. They made it inside the Dragonhouse, and the main door closed behind them. Yang gently set Halcyon down on his belly, then looked at the injured leg.

It wasn't an obvious break, but the leg was not completely straight where it should have been. Yang gently put a hand on the injury and got to work. Halcyon squirmed in discomfort, but managed to keep his leg still. Slowly but surely, the bone came back together. When Yang was done, Halcyon hummed and nuzzled his Rider's face.

"You should take some lessons from Ruby," Yang said while scratching the base of Halcyon's head. "Don't get your sister mad. It doesn't end well."

"I don't think Cerise gets stronger as she gets angrier," Ruby chipped in behind Yang. The older sister turned around to face the younger. "You didn't need my help with his leg, by the way. You did just fine."

"Thanks." Yang turned back to Halcyon. "Can you put your weight on it?" The golden dragon stood up on all fours. He took a few steps on the injured leg, and even put his full forward weight on the leg. Halcyon turned back to Yang, a gleam in his eyes. The blonde knew what was coming, and braced herself for the coming charge.

Before Halcyon could jump, the main door to the Dragonhouse opened. Yang turned back and saw four red legs come into view on the other side. Without really knowing what she was doing, Yang stood up and placed herself directly between the two dragons. Even though she hoped Cerise had calmed down, the blonde Rider wasn't taking any chances. The red dragon would have to go through her to get to Halcyon.

"Cerise!" Ruby yelled. She ran to her dragon, leaving rose petals behind her. The pair connected, but the more massive dragon didn't move an inch. Cerise instead curled her neck around her Rider. There was no trace of the anger she showed yesterday.

After a few moments, the pair left each other's grasp and Cerise took a few steps toward Yang and Halcyon. Yang stiffened up, but kept her fists unclenched. The red dragon looked past Yang, most likely at her younger brother. The two had a conversation that neither of their Riders were a part of. Not too far into the conversation, Halcyon hummed and practically pranced to his sister. The two dragons intertwined their necks and hummed together. Yang released a breath she didn't know she was holding. The two dragons made up. That's all that mattered.

"One big happy family," Yang said with a smile on her face. The two dragons freed their necks, then instantly turned on their Riders. Halcyon jumped at Yang while she wasn't prepared. She was easily tackled to the ground. "Cheater." Yang playfully pushed Halcyon's head to the side. The golden dragon hummed and licked Yang's face. He backed off his Rider and Yang stood up. She looked over to Cerise and saw Ruby pinned in a similar way.

Unlike Yang and Halcyon, Ruby and Cerise stayed on the ground for a while. Ruby kept rubbing her dragon's neck, and Cerise continually nuzzled her Rider's face with her snout, with her tongue occasionally flicking out as well. They never broke eye contact. They had to be talking inside each other's heads. Cerise' eyes were begging for forgiveness, in complete contrast from Ruby's understanding.

After about a minute, Cerise backed off her Rider. Ruby stood up, but still kept her natural hand on Cerise' head. She looked over at Yang and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Yang didn't realize how much she was smiling. "It's just the way that you look at Cerise. There's something going on there."

Ruby blushed and slightly looked away. "You should know. Or, you will anyway."

Yang nodded. "That day can't come soon enough."

* * *

POV: Ruby

Ruby traced one of the gaps in Cerise' scales. She accidentally brushed her fingertip against actual skin, and Cerise immediately pulled away. _Be careful, that tickles!_ the dragon scolded.

Normally, Ruby would take that as an invitation. Now, she had other thoughts on her mind. _I'm more worried about something making its way through the gaps. You're missing so many, it won't be hard for a regular arrow to find skin._

Cerise hummed sadly then nudged her Rider. _You can protect me with wards. I'm not defenseless._

_Remember how quickly we were shot out of the sky? I can't protect you from Dust rounds, and they tear right through your scales._ Ruby paused. _I could try unlocking your Aura. _

Cerise turned to her Rider._ Is that even possible?_

_I don't know,_ Ruby said,_ but we'll never know until we try. Zwei has at least some access to his._

_Do you even know how it's done?_

Ruby hesitated. _It just sort of happened for me, and Pyrrha can use her Aura to unlock another's. Aaron said he pulled his out using his mind during his initiation. Even if you just get the protection, you will be safe from Dust rounds. _She turned to her sister. "Hey Yang, I'm going to try something with Cerise. Could you make sure there's no distractions?"

Yang nodded. "May I ask what you're up to?"

"I'm going to try and unlock her Aura. Worth a shot, right?"

Yang's eyes widened. "Oh. I'll let you get to it."

Ruby locked eyes with Cerise. _You ready?_ The dragon just blinked. Ruby placed her natural hand on the side of her dragon's face, then closed her eyes and stretched her mind over to Cerise, and deeper into herself. She felt her dragon doing the same thing. Truth be told, she didn't know where to look for untouched Aura, or even what it felt like. Ruby was grasping at straws, and she knew it. She knew this could very well be the first session of many. Still, there was the small chance that she would be successful.

Ruby thought back to how Penny's mind felt. As far as she knew, Penny only had Aura, not a life force. She still had to test that theory on a Grimm, but there might be enough of a distinction in the two to make a connection.

At first, Ruby focused on finding where her own Aura was 'stored' in herself. If she had a place to look for in Cerise, it would speed up the whole process. She started looking at the cliché areas: her heart and her own head. As expected, she found nothing. Next she tried the literal center of herself. Again, Ruby felt nothing other than what she normally felt in herself and others with unlocked Aura. It seemed Cerise came to the same conclusion.

After Ruby ran out of ideas for searching in herself, she turned her attention to her dragon. Again she searched the expected areas, and again found nothing. Ruby broadened her search to include the entirety of her dragon. Still, there was nothing.

Except…there was. Something in Cerise felt like a concentrated ball of Aura. It was so compacted Ruby wasn't surprised she missed it on in her search. She 'prodded' it, and got an immediate pushback. Cerise radiated her surprise, and she focused her attention on the spot as well. _Is this it?_ the dragon asked.

_Only one way to find out,_ Ruby responded. Both dragon and Rider focused their minds on the small Aura ball. They tried unlocking it the way Aaron described, by pulling on it. Stubbornly, the ball stayed intact. Ruby tried using some of her own Aura. She felt like it was doing something, but the ball stayed shut.

Without warning, the Aura ball gave way. Ruby's mind was forced back into her own head. She physically fell backward and Cerise yelped. For a second, Ruby thought she did something that may have injured her dragon. Then she saw the faint red glow around Cerise. The dragon's eyes were wide, her whole body tense. As the glow faded, so did the tension she built up.

Yang was immediately by Ruby's side. "Did you do it?" she asked.

Ruby stretched her mind out to Cerise once again. The feeling she associated with Aura was much stronger. "I think so," she said. "I just don't remember it being that violent."

Cerise blinked her eyes and shook her head. _Everything feels…different,_ she said, bewildered. _There's something more to everything._

Ruby narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

_I believe I can help with that,_ another voice said. Ruby turned to the source and saw Nalia laying on the floor in her normal spot.

"When did you get here?" Ruby asked. She honestly had no idea the large dragon entered the building.

Nalia smirked. _A dragon can be quiet if she wants to be. _

"About five minutes ago," Yang answered. "You were too focused on Cerise to notice."

_Back to your question,_ Nalia continued, _as best as Aaron and I can tell, you need to have your Aura unlocked to sense it in others. Aaron noticed it right after he had his unlocked during his initiation. I believe Cerise is feeling another's Aura for the first time._

"That explains one thing," Ruby stated before she turned to Yang, "but why was there such a strong reaction on both of us?"

Yang scratched her head. "Either it was premature, which is very likely in all honesty, or unlocking Aura is different for dragons. Those are just guesses, Pyrrha's probably the better person to ask."

Ruby nodded, then thought back to how she was forced onto her back by an unseen force. It reminded her of something she did back when she was kidnapped. It was hazy, but clearer than anything on the other side. "Nalia, is it possible to use magic without the Ancient Language?" she asked.

Nalia's face grew serious. _Something tells me you already know the answer._

"Back when I was…in that place, I think I did something to their boss twice." Ruby felt a firm yet comforting arm fell across her shoulders. Yang gently squeezed, telling her sister she was there if needed. "The first time came right after he said that he was going to have Cerise skinned. I can't explain exactly what happened, but I got angry, and then a whirlwind started up in the room. The guy flew across the room, and I felt even more drained than I did before." Ruby involuntarily shivered as she remembered what happened next. Cerise hummed and moved her head into her Rider's lap.

"The other time was right before Yang found me. Their boss was about to take…I believe it was Claret, out of the room to take her to her new…" Ruby grimaced, "owner. I couldn't let that happen, and the whirlwind came back." Yang pulled Ruby in closer. The younger sister looked to the older but Yang wouldn't meet her eyes. Ruby swore she saw tears forming.

_What you are asking is possible,_ Nalia said after a few seconds,_ but possibly one of the most_ _dangerous parts of magic. If you're mind wanders at all during the casting, you could alter the spell, and very well kill yourself. It's a wonder you survived that once, let alone cast the same spell twice. _

Ruby hugged herself, then shivered. "Well, I didn't, and everyone got out of there. Apparently they all needed it."

"Just try not to do it again," Yang said, finally looking at Ruby.

"I'm not even sure how I did it. It just sort of, happened."

Cerise lifted her head and looked her Rider in the eyes. _You're strong, my Gem. We can get through this._

Ruby looked away. _Just as soon as the memories stop coming back._

The red dragon's wings drooped. _I don't think they ever go away. I still see those Grimm that attacked me._ Ruby again locked eyes with Cerise, more than a little concerned. Even though dragons matured way faster than people, Cerise was just over a month old. An attack like that was going to stick with her for a long time.

_I don't dwell on it though,_ Cerise continued. _Those Grimm are dead. They can't hurt me or anyone else anymore. The people that hurt you aren't a threat anymore either. They are behind bars or dead, and aren't likely to see the light of day for a long time._

Ruby lay her forehead on Cerise snout. _But there's more of them out there. Grimm are mindless, and don't think of revenge. The Nevermores…_Ruby paused, _they aren't going to take this lying down. They'll be back._

Cerise growled. _Then they're idiots. _Ruby pulled her head back looked back into one of her dragon's eyes. She saw nothing but determination. _They couldn't fight your team when they weren't focused on fighting. How can they hope to take us all on? We have the support of at least part of the Atlas military, all of Beacon,_ Cerise barred her teeth, _and a few dragons who want to get back at them. The Nevermores, the White Fang, neither can touch us. _

_Do you really believe that?_ Ruby asked while already knowing the answer.

Cerise blinked slowly. _**Every word.**_ There was no doubt now. The red dragon spoke in the Ancient Language.

Ruby smiled and hugged her dragon. _I love you Cerise. _The response came in the form of a long and low hum.

"Hey Ruby, why don't we go get something to eat," Yang suggested. "We've been in here a while."

"How long's a while?" Ruby asked as she pulled back from her dragon. A clock appeared in the top right corner of her vision showing 11:53. The fact that she had been in the Dragonhouse for nearly two hours didn't bother her. All the unexpected voice commands for her bionic eye did. She sighed. "Never mind…"

"You're eye?" Yang asked knowingly.

"I really need to get these thing figured out before the Vytal Festival." Ruby stood up and froze in place.

Apparently Yang didn't notice. "You still got a couple months. You'll be fine."

Ruby looked at her bionic hand with a mixture of disappointment and fear. "Can I even compete now?"

Yang stayed silent for a few seconds. "I don't see why not," she said hesitantly.

Ruby held up her metal arm. "Professional athletes typically aren't allowed to have these. It gives them too much of an advantage. What if I can't be in the tournament because of these things?"

Yang's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open a little. "Uh, that is a good question." She scratched the back of her head. "Weiss would know, or at least know where to look."

The younger sister nodded, then stretched her mind out to find her partner. "Looks like she's heading to lunch too. That's convenient." Ruby put a hand over her stomach. She just realized how hungry she was.

"Let's get going then." Yang finally stood up. "Fixing Halcyon's leg took more out of me than I thought."

Nalia's head shot up and she looked over at Halcyon. _What happened to his leg?_ she asked everyone. Meanwhile, Halcyon hit Cerise in the back of the head with his tail. The green dragon's eyes narrowed, and looked between the two much smaller dragons. After a few seconds her eyes grew soft and settled on Cerise. Every dragon let their wings carpet the floor and hung their heads.

"Yang, we should probably get going," Ruby said as she put a hand on her sister's arm. "They need time to sort this all out." Yang nodded, and the two sisters left the Dragonhouse. Even though Ruby wanted to be there for Cerise, she knew there were some things that only the dragons could discuss between themselves.

"Why _did_ Cerise attack Halcyon?" Yang finally asked. Her tone was more sad than accusing.

Ruby sighed. "She was in a blind rage, attacking anything that moved. When she saw Halcyon, she blamed him for the egg being stolen. After that first hit, she realized what she did and hid for the rest of the night. Please don't be mad at her, she didn't know what she was doing."

Yang shrugged. "If Halcyon can't say mad at Cerise, neither can I. It's done, nobody's permanently injured, we can put this behind us."

"They did make up quick, didn't they?" A set of rabbit ears caught Ruby's attention. Velvet, along with the rest of her team, was walking toward the main landing area. All of them were armed. "Aren't Velvet and Coco supposed to be planning the dance?" Ruby asked Yang.

"I guess something came up," Yang said, watching the other team go. "Well, they still have a while. They could be back before the job needs to be handed off."

Ruby shrugged, then an idea popped into her head. Team CFVY was going on a mission outside Beacon. Velvet was a decent tracker. Maybe she could…Ruby shook her head. She was grasping at even more straws. The egg could be anywhere from Vale to Vacuo. While it would be nice to get a few more sets of eyes looking for the lost egg, team CFVY most likely had other things to worry about. Velvet didn't even know what the egg looked like. How could she tell the difference between it and a moss-covered rock?

The sisters arrived at the cafeteria and searched around for Weiss. Yang caught sight of the heiress first. Weiss sat next to Blake on the far side of the room. There was no sign of Aaron.

After going through the lunch line, Ruby and Yang sat by their other teammates. "So what's new with you two?" the blonde asked.

"Well," Weiss began with more than a little pride, "If team CFVY isn't back by Thursday, Coco asked me to finish the final preparations. It will be my first time organizing an event like this."

"Here's hoping they'll get back in time." Ruby sipped her apple juice. "It's not that I'm not happy for you, but I'd like the others to get back safely."

Weiss shrugged. "Coco had Velvet as a second in command, so any of you want that role under me?"

"A socially awkward person planning a dance doesn't sound like a good idea." Ruby took another swig of her juice.

Weiss turned to Blake, but the Faunus was intently looking at her scroll. The heiress turned to Yang, a near grimace on her face. Yang smirked. "You need someone to do the heavy lifting, right? I've got your back."

"Someone's better than no one, I guess," Weiss sighed.

"Hey, Yang helped plan a few of my birthday parties before." Ruby put an arm around her sister's shoulders. "They turned out pretty well."

"Didn't Aaron say his birthday was sometime around now? Where is he anyway?" Yang looked around the cafeteria, not that he was in there already anyway.

Ruby turned her gaze to the doors and saw the latest member of team RWBY walk into the building. "Looks like you can ask him yourself." She stood up and waved at Aaron. He slowly looked up and locked eyes with his team leader. Ruby suddenly wished he hadn't. Aaron's eyes were dead, only showing a deep sadness. His shoulders were slumped and his back arched. Overall, he looked like a zombie who skipped dying.

Aaron broke eye contact with Ruby, and she sat back down. Hesitantly, Ruby sent a tendril of thought over to the other Rider, and met a solid wall. Instead of the image of one of Nalia's scales like normal, she met a wall of pure depression. She pulled back to her own mind and shook her head. "He is not okay."

"He was like that last night too, before we knew the egg was gone," Weiss commented. "What happened to him last night?"

"I think I may have just found out," Blake said, breaking her silence. Her wide and fear filled eyes stared at her scroll.

Weiss looked at the screen and gasped. "Are you saying he did _that?"_

Blake nodded. "It's possible. This happened right outside where the meeting was." She turned her scroll around for Ruby and Yang to see. Ruby could only stare at the headline on the news page. 'Four White Fang Soldiers Found Dead Outside Gathering Area.'

"He specifically said to _not_ do that when we went after the other guys," Yang defended while still keeping their actions secret to the other students around. "Why would he do this?"

Ruby tuned out the next part of the conversation. A member of her team had possibly killed people. While most likely justified in the eyes of the law, if he did kill those Faunus, he may not have forgiven himself. Ruby's mind went back to the one of the first days she knew Nalia. The green dragon asked her to look after Aaron if he breaks down. That time was fast approaching.

"Ruby," Weiss said, snapping Ruby out of her thoughts. "What do we do?"

"Wait a day," she said unconfidently. "I think that's what people do. If he's not better by tomorrow…I'll try and talk to him. If that doesn't work, I'll have to ask Nalia what to do. She knows him best."

Yang shook her head. "I really don't like this." She looked over at Aaron, who had since sat down at an empty table, away from anybody. "He never was the most social person, but that is ridiculous."

"Are you sure waiting is the best idea?" Weiss asked.

"No." Ruby sighed. She looked at Blake, who most likely had the most experience with isolation and possibly depression. The Faunus just shook her head. "I just don't know what else to do."

* * *

**And yet again, I couldn't find anywhere to put my characters in at. FUCK! Why is this so hard to do?!**

**Oh yeah, because Pokeman1280 made it so well.**

**...Shit.**

**Well, within a few chapters, things are going to begin to really deviate from the original course.**


	23. Repairs

**Hold on to your feels, people.**

* * *

Monday, September 28

POV: Ruby

Ruby smirked as she watched Yang flail around with a borrowed sword. Apparently, switching to fists and feet from a weapon was easier than going the other way. Ruby taught her sister some of the basics she learned from Uncle Qrow before she decided to switch to her massive scythe. She would have left that kind of teaching to Aaron, but he wasn't exactly reachable at the moment. Maybe Pyrrha would help. Percy could also help too, considering that Riptide is a sword.

Yang finished up a wild swing and nearly tossed the sword across the Dragonhouse. "Remind me why I have to do this again," she complained.

"If I have to learn fist fighting," Ruby began, "you have to learn how to fight with something other than Ember Celica."

_Also,_ Nalia said from the other side of the blonde, _all Riders before have fought with a sword. And I don't care how good you are, if you fight a swordsman with your fists, you're asking to get an arm cut off._

Yang shrugged. "My Aura and wards will protect me. It's not like anyone around has the chance of getting through either any time soon."

Nalia growled at Yang._ You think that all you opponents will follow your tournament rules?_ The growl stayed with her mental voice._ You should know better just by facing the Nevermores. What will happen when you face someone who has years more experience than you and wants to kill you? You will be lucky if you just lose an arm._

Ruby stared at the dragon, slightly scared. The last time she heard Nalia come close to that tone was when they were chasing the first Nevermore courier. None of the dragons had been the same since the egg was stolen. Nalia was the worst off. It was a toss-up on whether she was angry or extremely depressed. She hadn't so much as smiled since that one time after Ruby unlocked Cerise' Aura. That was two days ago.

Then again, Nalia didn't have her Rider for support. Aaron only left his room once per day for lunch. He didn't go to classes, he didn't show up for the normal magic lessons, and he didn't talk to anyone. Nalia said she couldn't even get a word out of him. Ruby tried everything she could think of to get Aaron out of his room, from pounding on his door to mental communication. Blake was distancing herself at the same time, and even she was worried about Aaron.

Yang shook her head and turned away. She fell into a defensive stance and once again attacked an invisible enemy. Halcyon watched his Rider intently, as did Ruby. Yang was slowly improving, but at the moment she could only take on Jaune. She had a long way to go before she could fight anyone else.

Ruby turned back and faced Cerise. _We're falling apart here,_ she said. _We need Aaron and Blake back to their old selves and we need to find that egg._

Cerise hummed sadly. _We only have control over one of those at the moment._

_Which one? Neither Aaron or Blake will talk to us and we have the entire planet to search for the egg._ Ruby shook her head. _I should have asked Velvet to help search. She could have covered an area we have no access to. At least someone might be looking for more than a few hours a day._

_I have a feeling you are the only one who can get through to Aaron._

Ruby scoffed. _The only one? What can I do that Nalia can't?_

Cerise hesitated before continuing. _You also had a traumatic experience recently. You are more likely than the rest of us to know what he's going through. Nalia's and my experience is second hand. No matter how many memories you share, it will always be your experience._

_But how do I get through to him? If he's not talking to Nalia, why would he say anything to me?_

_He has to leave his room some time._

_Corner him at lunch?_ Ruby shook her head. _Too public. This is definitely not something that either of us want a lot of people knowing._ She thought it over for a few seconds. _I could do what Sun did and jump through Aaron's window._

_Remember his reaction to that? It's probably not the best idea._

Ruby sighed. _You're right. I'll think of something._ She turned back to Yang, who wasn't flailing as much as she used to be with the actually looked like she could take down an Ursa. While most of her strikes were wide and left her open, they were strong, and would leave a defender struggling to hold back the blade. That was just practicing against air though, not a person "Would you like an opponent now?" Ruby called.

Yang finished a particularly vicious swing, then held her borrowed sword by her side. "Might as well," the blonde said. "Still pretty sure you'll still kick the crap out of me."

"Probably." Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out from behind her back. "Sometimes you have to lose to learn."

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked while moving her sword into a defensive position.

"Me after losing to Aaron I don't know how many times." Crescent Rose extended to its full length. "Now, your move Yang."

The blonde smirked. "Gladly." Yang ran at Ruby and swung her sword at Ruby's right shoulder. Ruby easily blocked the strike, but felt the strain on her left arm. The haft of her scythe was slowly being forced to the left side. Ruby pushed back with her right arm and hit Yang on the side of the head with the end of Crescent Rose. The older sister staggered a little, but recovered quickly. She smiled maliciously and raised her sword again.

This time, Ruby launched the attack. She swung her scythe around herself and at Yang's midsection. The older sister blocked it clumsily, and the attack continued to hit its mark. Yang lost her grip on her sword and she ended up flying across the floor of the Dragonhouse. Halcyon whimpered a little, but made no move toward his Rider. Ruby smiled and held her scythe loosely by her side. "Ruby: one, Yang: zero," she said confidently.

"If we're looking at the year as a whole," Yang started as she picked up her sword, "it's more like Ruby: nineteen, Yang: twenty-five."

"Technicalities." Ruby once again raised Crescent Rose. "You ready to go on?"

Yang dramatically swung her sword in front of her. "If that's the best you've got, I'm surprised a Grimm hasn't gotten you by now." Yang charged and Ruby smirked. That kind of banter stretched back before either of them attended Signal. Way back then, it was over board games or the occasional video game. Now they took verbal jabs at each other every time they sparred. The whole experience was nice for Ruby to take her mind off all the bad things that were going on.

Yang once again swung at Ruby. The younger sister easily caught the strike near the scope on her weapon. Yang could be stronger than an Ursa when determined or angry, and she was using that to her full advantage. Ruby pushed herself away and swung her scythe at her sister's hands. The blonde pulled away slightly, but not far enough to keep her weapon from being struck out of her hands.

Ruby stuck the business end of Crescent Rose about a foot away from Yang's face and smirked. The weapon wasn't loaded and the safety was on, otherwise she wouldn't do anything like that to anyone, Aura or not. "Another one for me!" She lowered her scythe and put a hand on her hip. "What happened? I thought you were a good fighter."

"Lucky shot," Yang scoffed as she retrieved her sword. "If I'm remembering right, you struggled when you first fought Aaron."

"True, but I got in more than one strike before being disarmed." Ruby chuckled a little bit, then turned semi serious. "You don't need a death grip on the hilt, but you need a stronger grip than that. Having either too strong of a grip or too loose and the hilt could cause some serious damage to your hands."

"Yeah, yeah." Yang shook her head like she was tired of hearing the same thing over and over. She raised her sword in front of her. "Your move airhead."

Ruby shrugged. "Just remember hothead, you asked for this." The sisters exchanged physical and verbal strikes for a while. Ruby won all their sparring matches, and Yang gradually increased the length of time she could last against her sister. Somewhere along the line, their dragons decided to have their own sparring matches. The Dragonhouse was filled with the sounds of growling dragons and clashing metal. If there was no soundproofing in the building, the occupants would find out soon.

Nalia silently watched over it all. From the small glances Ruby got of the green dragon during and in between bouts, she was slipping back into her light depression. She held her head high to keep an eye on both fights, but her eyes weren't focused and were half lidded. Her wings drooped to the point of creating a large green carpet around her.

As Ruby and Yang were setting up for a fifteenth match, Nalia's head shot to the side and she made a noise that sounded somewhere between a whimper and a hum. All fighting in the building halted as the large dragon left the Dragonhouse.

Yang walked over to her sister's side. "Think something's happened with Aaron?" she asked.

"Probably. Cerise made the same type of noise a few times when I was recovering." Ruby looked back at her dragon for confirmation.

Cerise hummed and blinked slowly. _I believe Nalia finally got through to him. You might be able to do the same._

Ruby nodded, then folded up Crescent Rose. "I'm going to go see if I can finally talk to Aaron," she told Yang.

"What, I have to practice with a sword, but you don't have to practice without a weapon?" Yang put her hands on her hips.

"I would but," Ruby raised her bionic arm, "this thing gave me too much of an advantage already. I'm sure I could put you through a wall by accident."

"You have a point there. You'll need to get a punching bag or something."

"Or find out how to decrease the strength in these things myself. Weiss said I'm going to have to have them powered down for the tournament. It would be nice to know how it's done before then." Ruby looked at the small control panel on the inside of her arm. None of the buttons were labeled except for the power and eject buttons. She did not feel like experimenting on herself to find out that all the other buttons did. "Anyway, wish me luck. I'll need it."

Yang gave Ruby a thumbs up. "I'm seen what you can do for people. You'll do fine." Ruby nodded then left the Dragonhouse. For the first time since Cerise returned from her angry rampage, she wasn't glued to her Rider's side. Even though Ruby felt her dragon in her mind, she wished she had the extra support for the rest of the walk.

Ruby thought over what could actually be on Aaron's mind. Of course, all evidence pointed to him killing those four White Fang soldiers. He apparently told the rest of the team not to kill anyone when they rescued Ruby. If Aaron did kill them, he was forced to. Still, he said Alagaësia used the death penalty for more than just treason. If he came from a place like that, why was he so adverse to it?

Other than that, Ruby couldn't think of anything else that could crush Aaron so much. He was out of it before the egg was stolen, so that couldn't be the main cause. Just seeing the bodies wouldn't cause him to go off the deep end for three days either. He didn't act out at all when they freed those Faunus from that warehouse in the city. The one dead girl in there was innocent, and couldn't have hurt anyone. Even Blake could admit that some people in the White Fang could only be stopped by being killed. Take lives to save lives, but that couldn't make it any better.

Ruby entered her residence hall and walked straight for Aaron's room. As she got closer, she saw his door was slightly open. Still, she knocked lightly before pushing it open. "Aaron, you in here?" she asked. She looked around the room and saw no one inside. Ruby closed the door completely and walked three doors down to her own room. She opened the door, but only saw Weiss inside.

The heiress looked up from her textbook and took out one of her earbuds. "Need something?" she asked.

"Has Aaron stopped by here?" Ruby asked after a second's hesitation.

Weiss stared at her partner for a few seconds before answering. "He's out of his room?" Ruby simply nodded. "I haven't seen him, but Nalia did walk by a few minutes ago." Weiss gestured with her thumb

Ruby nodded. "What about Blake? She still in the library?"

"Yes." Weiss sighed. "We need to get our team back to full strength. Both of them are dragging us down."

"I'm working on it. Thanks for the help, Weiss." Ruby closed the door and walked in the direction her partner suggested. Aaron was out of his room somewhere, but he could be anywhere on campus. Ruby thought about searching for him with her mind, but she didn't want to scare him off.

Ruby walked up to the fourth floor and angled toward the balcony. She wanted to get a decent view at the campus, hopefully spotting Nalia and maybe Aaron. What she didn't expect was Aaron leaning on the balcony railing. He hadn't noticed Ruby but that could change. She walked over to the balcony herself and called out, "There you are. You've been hard to get a hold of the past few days."

Aaron turned to look at Ruby as she leaned against the railing. "I needed some fresh air and a change of scenery." He sounded like he hadn't slept in days.

"I take it you wanted to see her too?" Ruby looked down at the ground, where Nalia was curled up next to the building.

The other Rider locked eyes with his dragon, then sighed. "In case you haven't noticed Ruby, I'd rather be alone right now."

"You've _been_ alone for three days. The only time anyone's seen you is during lunch. You haven't been to class during that time. Blake's being more sociable than you, and she's getting worse by the day."

Aaron finally looked Ruby in the eyes. Genuine concern hid behind layers of regret. "What's wrong with Blake?"

"This is what I'm talking about! You don't even know what's going on in your own team. Aaron, what's going on?"

He turned away. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"It physically hurt to talk about my imprisonment," Ruby looked back down at the ground, "but I'm glad I did. It's a weight off my shoulders, and it let everyone know what was going on and what I went through. I don't have to carry it alone." She turned back to Aaron. "I _will_ swear not to tell anyone if you want me to."

Aaron sighed. "That won't be necessary." He started speaking in the Ancient Language. Ruby didn't know all of what he was saying, but she caught a few words regarding silence and distance. He stopped speaking, and suddenly a nearly invisible bubble formed around the two Riders. The only reason Ruby saw it was the small ripples in the air that formed after Aaron finished casting the spell.

"Have you ever killed anyone, Ruby?" he asked solemnly.

Ruby's heart fell into her stomach. "Those White Fang soldiers?"

Aaron nodded. "More than them." He took his arms out of his jacket and it fell to the ground. Then he rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt. Ruby tried to suppress a gasp, but failed. Several scars lined the upper part of Aaron's arm. Most were parallel, but two made a large ragged V. "Almost all of these scars represent one life I've stolen. Whether by blade, arrow, or some other action, I've killed them. I called my sword Redemption as if I could redeem myself from my crimes as a child. Now I realize the irony in the name."

Ruby couldn't speak for several seconds. Those weren't his first kills? He was only fifteen, and he already killed more people than most soldiers, police, and Huntsmen ever will. "Th-they all had to be justified," she eventually got out.

The other Rider shook his head, then looked down at the ground. "The first five. Four slavers I caught just outside the city of Dras-Leona. The fifth…" tears ran down Aaron's cheeks, "the fifth was a woman they kidnapped from her home. They slit her throat because I didn't act, because I didn't want to fight."

Utterly shocked, Ruby covered her mouth with a hand and fought back tears. "Three of the next four were soldiers that were assigned to back me up that got killed. Slain by another magician that I couldn't stop because I couldn't assault his mind. I ended up getting him the old fashioned way, but it was too late."

Aaron clenched his teary eyes and tightened his grip on the stone railing. "Then Galbatorix betrayed us. Him and thirteen other pairs killed hundreds of us, because we were too arrogant to see it coming." He paused and wiped some of the tears off his face. "All eggs but the three I brought were shattered. Only two dragons survived outside of the Forsworn, Nalia being one of them. The other, one of our former teachers, Glaedr, but he can't fight anymore."

Ruby found herself fighting between rage and sadness like Nalia the past few days. Her little Cerise was one of less than twenty left alive, and the only egg left was missing. Dragons were in extreme danger of going extinct. Only one friendly dragon on the other side could possibly help. She looked at the scars on Aaron's arm. Three more were still unaccounted for.

"Then one of my old friends hurt me even more while Nalia and I were hiding," Aaron whispered as he curled a hand into a fist. "We were the only pair unaccounted for after the battle. Once Galbatorix took over, he ordered that my family to be killed if we didn't turn ourselves in. Three months later…" his voice cracked and stayed silent for a few seconds, "three months later an elf courier came to me and swore to me that my parents and my three year old sister were killed by Kialandí, one of my closest friends before he joined Galbatorix. Their heads were hung on spikes in the center of Teirm. From then on, we had no contact with anyone from Alagaësia."

Ruby stood silent for several seconds. Aaron never said anything before about a sister. Dying that way so young...tears now ran unabated down Ruby's face. She hesitantly approached Aaron and threw her arms around him. He tensed up for a few seconds. He eventually loosened, but he didn't return the hug. "I got off easy," Ruby said softly. "I won't even pretend to know what you're going through, or have been through. I am so sorry."

"All that is why I haven't instructed you or Yang how to commune with nature." Ruby pulled away and looked at Aaron with confusion. "The elves and Riders can communicate with animals and plants. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but all animals have their own thoughts and urges. It's a wonderful thing to experience, but it makes our job ten times harder. It is utter agony when you're in the head of someone as they die, human, animal, or plant. Everything and everyone has their own hopes and dreams. Once you feel that, it's hard to fight, even harder to kill."

Aaron paused again. "It's all taken its toll. After I took the lives of the first five, I tried to take my own." Ruby gasped and froze in place. She couldn't even cover her mouth. Nalia hummed sadly from the ground. "I couldn't take it. I was in the woman's mind as she died. I could only get one word out of her: why? I couldn't take it. I didn't think I deserved to live. I was about to run myself through when Nalia knocked my sword out of my hand. She grabbed me in her claws and flew me to the coast. She kept me pinned to the ground for over a day before a search party came for us.

"After my family was killed, neither Nalia nor I felt we had anything to live for. I was in the worst shape though. Before I drew my sword, Nalia asked me to kill her first. I swear it was a strategy. She knew I couldn't do it, and if I could, I wouldn't be far behind."

Ruby took in a big breath, after forgetting to breathe through Aaron's explanation. As she was figuring out what to say, Aaron drew a long knife out of his jacket. "This is the only blade to taste my blood. Never during training, never on the streets of Teirm. It makes sure I remember their faces. I hate this thing, but I have to carry it."

Resolve took over Ruby and she pointed her natural hand at the blade. "Jierda," she said, and the knife obediently shattered. Aaron looked over at Ruby, an uncertain look in his eyes. "You won't be needing that anymore."

Aaron sighed. "I'll just find another one. They aren't hard to-"

"_No, you won't,"_ Ruby said confidently in the Ancient Language. "You weren't killing just for the heck of it. You were saving lives. Stop focusing on those who you actually killed. Focus on the lives you saved. Think about those lives you've made better just by being you."

"What about those who died because of my inaction or inability to act?" Aaron was growing angry, and at the moment, that was better than depressed.

"You didn't kill that woman, those slavers did. I'm sure those monsters would have done the same thing to many more people if you didn't step in."

Aaron shook his head. "She was still my responsibility, and I let her and her family down."

"You can't win everything. There will be times when everything is stacked against you, but you still have to keep fighting." As Ruby talked, she realized she might as well be speaking to herself.

"My decisions get people hurt. They always have. The two times I've lead a mission, people got killed and seriously injured." Aaron looked sadly at Ruby. "Every time I look at you, it's a reminder of how I've failed. You, and so many others who were killed or injured when I was supposed to protect them. I'm a failure as a leader."

Ruby raised her bionic arm, quickly removed the glove and rolled up her sleeve. At the moment, she didn't care who saw. "This is not your fault. None of these things are your fault. You aren't the only one to lose people on a mission either, and any commander worth anything hates losing anybody. Even General Ironwood isn't that cold. There are some situations where you don't make any mistakes and still lose." She paused. "I am terrified every time the team leaves Beacon, mission or otherwise, that one or more of us won't come back, whether it's my mistake or not. You wouldn't know anything before, but it's only gotten worse since I was kidnapped."

Aaron shook his head. "How didn't I kill my family though? If I turned myself in, they would still be alive."

"And you and Nalia wouldn't be. Cerise, Halcyon, and the last egg would be in the hands of a madman. You didn't kill them. Kialandí and Galbatorix did. You aren't the only one on the team to lose family either. Yang's mom left her early on, and we both lost mine. We at least have some idea about what you're dealing with."

"Still, they're gone. You practically confirmed that they're dead because of me."

Ruby reached up and touched one of the pins on her hood. "They're in a better place now, away from Galbatorix."

Aaron stared at Ruby skeptically. She could practically see the gears turning behind the other Rider's eyes. "So that's where you and Yang disappear to every Sunday." Aaron shook his head. "How can you think any of that is real after what's been done to you and everything else in the world?"

"_I don't think, I know."_ Ruby temporarily switched to the Ancient Language. Aaron blinked his eyes in surprise. "I can't remember everything that happened when I was captured, but I know it helped me carry on until you came for me."

Aaron sighed and shook his head again. "You believe what you will. I'll choose to remain neutral on the subject."

Once again, Ruby hugged Aaron. This time, there was no tension. "Aaron, you aren't a bad guy. From what you've said, you only fight when you have to. It's not a bad thing to feel guilty about it. I'd be worried if you didn't. You don't have to fight this alone. We're all here for you." She pulled away. "When you're ready to rejoin society, come find us."

Ruby turned around and started walking away from the balcony. As she was about to put the one glove back on, she saw several students standing in the doorway. All of them stared at Ruby's bionic arm. She really didn't know any of them, but they still knew, and would most likely talk.

For a second, Ruby froze in fear. She looked down at the fake hand and the empty glove. She wasn't trying to hide the limb itself, but what made the arm, leg, and eye necessary. It had been a decent time since she was kidnapped and very few would be able to connect the dots. Still, a few people would, and she would be known as someone who couldn't stop a few kidnappers. She didn't care about her image like Weiss or Yang, but she did care if people trusted her in the field. That would fall off once word got out.

Ruby quickly put her glove back on and rolled down her sleeve. She walked past the small group without looking at any of them. Still, she felt their eyes on her back all the way down the hall. She felt good for finally being able to talk with Aaron, but for the first time in a while, Ruby felt vulnerable.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron watched Ruby walk through the door back into the residence hall. The students just inside watched the young girl too. They whispered amongst themselves and pointed fingers down the hall. The Rider frowned, picked up his jacket, and walked over to the doorway. "Figured I should let you know," he said in a friendly voice, "if you tell anyone what you saw, you will have three very angry dragons after you, as well as her sister." Aaron walked past the group and into the building himself.

_That wasn't very nice,_ Nalia teased. _They might not have talked._

_I couldn't take that chance._ Aaron paused. _It's good to hear your voice again._

Nalia mentally hummed._ I missed yours as well. Please don't shut me out like that again._

_I owe you at least one scale cleaning after that._ Aaron looked down in the direction Nalia lay. _I left you alone when you needed support._

Neither spoke for a few seconds. _Losing the egg wasn't your fault either. Like Ruby said, sometimes you can make no mistakes and still lose._

_But there I did. No magical protection?_ Aaron shook his head. _I should have known that the locks on the doors weren't enough. Even though I don't understand them doesn't mean others don't._

_Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing._ Nalia let a growl slip into her voice. _They left no scent, and no tracks._

_You thinking Black Queen?_

Nalia hesitated. _It's possible, but it's too early to say. On the same subject, have you thought about Ironwood's offer yet?_

Aaron sighed and shook his head. _I think we have to. We can do so much more than normal Atlas forces. If the Black Queen is in Vale, we have the best chance of catching her. _He walked by the main team RWBY dorm and heard Ruby laughing at something inside. Aaron smiled and kept on walking. _There's a lot more to her than she lets on._

_I knew she was capable._ Nalia sent her approval. _She didn't say anything wrong, and you needed all of it._

_Maybe I did. _Aaron opened the door to his room and walked in. He retrieved the scroll that Ironwood gave him for direct contact. _Well, let's get this over with._

* * *

**Well, there's the energy dagger to the heart, now time to remove it and apply bio-foam.**


	24. Healing Begins

**And here, we apply the bio-foam.**

* * *

Tuesday, October 6

POV: Ruby

_Sorry, but next time we get a cake for someone, we aren't flying,_ Ruby told Cerise as she desperately tried to keep the large cake stable and level on her lap. _No offense to your flying, it's just too turbulent up here._

_None taken, _Cerise said, keeping her head forward. _I know I'm not the most stable flier. That will come with time._ She angled to the ground in front of the Dragonhouse. Another gust of wind blew by, jostling the dragon and nearly sending the cake falling to the ground below. Cerise landed gently soon after.

Ruby threw her legs over her dragon and looked at the ground below. She slowly slid off Cerise' back and bent her knees as she hit the ground. Thankfully, the cake in the box stayed perfectly intact through the entire trip. "Now for the hard part."

_Hard part? I thought getting that here in one piece was the hard part._

The Rider smiled. "I didn't have to be worried about getting ambushed by hungry students in the air. I'll see you later." Ruby turned around and began the now perilous walk back to her dorm room. Yang should have been able to gather team JNPR, Gray team, and the rest of RWBAY by now. Aaron finally let slip when his birthday was, and they all missed it by four days. Celebrating late was better than never.

Thankfully, Ruby made it to her dorm room only attracting a few hungry stares. She shifted the cake's weight completely to her right arm and opened the door with her left. Members of the three teams were scattered throughout the room. Aaron was telling some kind of story. "Then Nalia dove down from the top of the mountain. We caught Brom and Saphira completely by surprise. Nalia hit almost dead center on Saphira's back and-"

"Happy late birthday Aaron!" Ruby interrupted, causing the one guy on her team to jump in his seat. "Looks like you're not the only one who can catch people by surprise."

"Looks like we'll be having leftover cake for a few days," Yang said while eyeing up the large box.

"I think you're forgetting how much Nora, Ruby, and Aaron can eat," Weiss said.

"She has a point," Pyrrha chipped in. "I don't think there will be much left at all."

"Challenge accepted!" Nora cheered.

"I thought there was something strange going on." Aaron crossed his arms. "A three team study session after we've all finished a few tests didn't sit right with me. Especially when one team seems to do extremely well as it is."

"Some of us might have to retake one or two, you know," Jaune said dejectedly.

"Jaune, not again," Ruby moaned as she set the cake box down on a desk. "I thought you were getting better at studying."

"I am, it's just that the last essay question kicked my butt." There were mumbles of agreement throughout the room, and a muttered, "that fucking font is murder on dyslexia," from Percy.

"Well, let's not let the cake go to waste," Yang said as she stood up. Ruby opened up the box and her sister walked over to her side. "I've got the knife, but do have the candles?"

Ruby froze, then facepalmed with her natural hand. "Dang it. Cerise, how could you let me forget the candles?"

_It wasn't __**my**__ responsibility to remember them Ruby,_ Cerise said. Her tone suggested that she let everyone in the room hear.

The red Rider rolled her eyes. She turned around and faced the general direction her dragon lay. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." Aaron raised his eyebrows, while a few other people in the room snickered.

"I understood that reference." Yang gently punched Ruby's shoulder. "There was a time where I thought that it couldn't be made. I wish I could have beat you to it though." She jerked her head to the side and winced a little. Probably Halcyon getting a little defensive.

"That's a reference to something?" Aaron asked confused. "I've been saying that to Nalia for years."

"Another one for the Scrolflix list!" Ruby waved everyone else over, then looked at her natural hand. "Brisingr." A small flame burned to life near the center of her palm.

Yang took the hint and did the same. "Not exactly candles, but this will do." Aaron stood in front of the cake and the three teams gathered around, all except Blake, anyway. She stayed sitting on her bed looking at something on her scroll. Ruby nearly frowned at the sight. While Aaron had mostly recovered from his bout of depression, Blake kept pushing herself farther away. If the bags under her eyes were any indication, she wasn't getting enough sleep.

Ruby was brought out of these thoughts by someone starting the age old happy birthday song. Aaron put on a confused face and looked around the group with only his eyes. Everyone finished, except Yang who went on to the second verse only sung by third and fourth years in the cafeteria. "Gooooo out and have fun." She stomped her foot instead of clapping due to the fire in her hand.

"Yang! No!" Ruby yelled. "He might take that seriously!"

"Isn't everyone who sings that part underage anyway?" Aaron asked, confused eyes darting between Ruby and Yang.

"I've heard it's a tradition going back to when the legal drinking age was eighteen," Yang said with a shrug. "I'm just continuing it."

"This is when you blow out the candles," Jaune chipped in from the back of the pack.

Aaron turned to look at Jaune, then back at the two sister Riders. He shrugged. "Strange customs here." He leaned down slightly and in one breath blew a stream of air at the two small flames. Ruby cut the energy flow to her flame and it went out quickly.

Yang's, on the other hand, only burned brighter. "Aww, who's the lucky girl Aaron?"

"YAAAANG!" Ruby yelled even louder.

Nora burst out laughing, but Aaron looked even more confused than before. "Looks like you got yourself a girlfriend there, lover boy!" Nora said as she elbowed Aaron.

The green Rider rapidly turned to Nora, and his face lost some color. "What?" Aaron turned back to Yang with his eyebrows raised.

Yang's smile disappeared and she threw her hand up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, not me. Man, these jokes aren't going my way lately."

"Cultural differences, Yang," Ren said with a smile on his face. "Some things don't translate well."

"Now that all that's over," Ruby threw a glare at Yang, "how about we actually eat this thing. I remembered the plates this time too." She took the box that held the plates and forks from where Crescent Rose normally rested. Yang cut the cake and everyone took at least one piece. Weiss grabbed two and brought the second over to Blake. After a few seconds of conversation, Blake slowly took the cake from the heiress.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Aaron glared at Ruby, who just shrugged. "Nalia flew down and hit Saphira's back dead center…" He continued on to explain in detail how he and Nalia bested three other pairs in a challenge they made themselves. While Aaron only managed to defeat one Rider, Nalia took out the other three dragons, despite them being a lot bigger.

"Something's not sitting right with me," Weiss said when Aaron finished. "Why can't you remember the name of the red dragon?"

The smile disappeared of Aaron's face. "Because his Rider and he was one of the ones who betrayed us." Silence filled the room. "Shortly before the Battle of Vroengard, the combined strength of the dragons there cast one of the strangest spells ever. They couldn't stand that several of their own would want to wipe them out, so they completely erased the names of the Forsworn's dragons from everyone's memory. _All_ names, known by the public or not." Ruby's eyes widened and locked with Yang's. Neither sister said anything, but they knew what Aaron meant by _all_.

"Why would they do that? How did they do that" Pyrrha asked.

"Dragons hate traitors more than humans and elves combined. As for how, dragons can only use magic when they have the right inspiration. It's very rare that they can all cast one spell together. When they can though, they are among the most powerful spells ever cast."

Aaron set the remainder of his cake on the ground and leaned forward in his seat. "Now I'd like to move onto something a little more serious." Ruby's shoulders slumped. She knew where this was going. Apparently Yang did too. Her fingers curled into fists. The air in the room completely turned around from where it was only moments before.

"Who would steal a dragon egg anyway?" Yang growled. "We're the only ones who know about it."

"Evidently not," Aaron sighed, "and I _know_ no one said anything." He took out his scroll and hit a few things on the screen. "I wasn't completely useless when I was pitying myself. I've mapped out the area around Vale and figured out how much area we can all cover in a day. This will change as Cerise grows, and Halcyon should be able to carry Yang next week."

"We _do_ have our first official missions next week," Weiss said. "From what I've heard, the huntsmen we shadow have entire days structured to the minute if at all possible."

"Plus, these are real missions that need to be done," Ren added. "People are counting on us to complete them. We can't just leave on mission."

"Weiss and I are committed this week too," Yang sighed. "We can't really go too far since we're planning the dance. We can't hand it off to anyone else either."

Aaron put a hand on the side of his head. "So we have two weeks before we can start searching for real."

"Hey," Jaune cut in, "Ruby found Cerise egg when you weren't around, right? That turned out okay. It's possible that whoever stole the egg may have dumped it somewhere someone can find it."

"I did think it was a pretty rock," Ruby agreed. "I'm so glad I was wrong though." She felt Cerise send her appreciation from the Dragonhouse.

"We have anything planned for after Professor Goodwitch's sparring class today?" Yang asked.

"We've got nothing," Jaune said, the he looked at Ruby.

Team RWBY's leader turned to the newest member. "Aaron, send the map to the rest of us. We'll do what we can while you're in with Doctor Oobleck."

Aaron nodded and hit a few more buttons on the screen. Soon after, Ruby's scroll vibrated. She opened up the new file and looked at the detailed map and search routes. "I was learning how to set this up as I went with only a little help from books and the CCT, so bear with me. The areas on the outside are for aerial searches from dragonback while the ones closer to the city are for searches on foot. Using my past experience, I've determined the amount of area each of us can cover in a day. But none of this takes Grimm into account, so keep that in mind."

Ruby looked over the routes. Aaron even labeled who should be taking which areas. Ruby noticed that none of Cerise' and hers went anywhere close to Forever Fall and the beach she was captured. Another of hers covered all of Patch, but it was much smaller than the ones to the south. She glanced at Aaron out of the corner of her eye. All of that couldn't have been a coincidence.

She turned her attention back to the map. It looked like team JNPR was tasked with searching to the east, team RWBY took everything to the south, and Gray team had the north. As Ruby looked over her team's part, she noticed a tab alongside their routes. She opened it, and saw a somewhat revised map in case Blake wouldn't be joining in. It wasn't as well developed as the erst, but it was something. Ruby looked over at the Faunus. She was staring at her scroll, but not at the map. Ruby didn't want to believe that Blake would sit out on the search, but she couldn't ignore the possibility.

"For never using this program before," Weiss said, "I'm impressed. It's color-coded and everything."

Aaron shrugged. "I try."

"So what do you want done if we find whoever took the egg?" Pyrrha asked.

"Breaking his legs is an option," Nora said a little too happily.

Yang shifted in her seat. "That's_ one_ option."

_A little too passive if you ask me,_ Cerise growled. Ruby turned her head to where her dragon was. A few other people in the room did too. _An egg thief should not get off that easily._

Ruby shivered and tried to brush off her dragon's hostility. She knew Cerise was just venting, and red dragons were more aggressive than others. Still, it was still disturbing to hear her normally peaceful dragon wanting to hurt anyone. She looked at the time on her scroll. "It looks like we should probably be heading for sparring class right now."

Jaune looked at his scroll too. "Probably a good idea." Everyone stood up from where they were sitting and filed out into the hallway. At least they were finally doing something about the egg instead of just moping around.

* * *

POV: Aaron

Aaron sat with the rest of his team near the center of the stands in the auditorium. Team JNPR inexplicably took up seats on the far side, with Gray team sitting behind them at the back of the room. Professor Goodwitch stood on the sparring stage, giving a lecture on proper technique before the actual matches began. It was all stuff Aaron learned back on Vroengard, and from the looks on the rest of his teammate's faces, it was review for them as well.

"Alright, now onto the sparring matches," Professor Goodwitch finally said. "Are there any volunteers to start off?"

Across the large room, Pyrrha stood up. "I am prepared," she announced. Aaron noticed Ruby slump a little in her seat.

Goodwitch nodded. "And who would you like to be your opponent?"

Pyrrha looked behind herself and directly at another team. "I choose team CRDL as my opponent." Almost immediately, murmurs broke out in the stands. Ruby straightened out, and Aaron saw a smirk appear on her face.

"Are you sure, Miss Nikos? There are not very many situations in which you will be fighting four opponents at one time, and almost certainly not in the tournament."

"I am sure." Pyrrha spoke with complete confidence.

Goodwitch nodded again. "As you wish, Miss Nikos. You all have five minutes to prepare." She turned around and walked off stage.

"This ought to be good," Yang said to the team.

Aaron was thoroughly confused. "Why would she fight a full team? I thought this was all against single opponents."

"Against Pyrrha, team CRDL might as well be one person," Weiss said. "They may act big and tough, but they're one of the lowest ranked teams here."

"She's doing it to teach them a lesson," Ruby chipped in. "After the last class, Cardin and his team ganged up on a first year Faunus. They didn't get physical beyond a few pushes, but their verbal attacks…"

"I take it they've been doing this for a while." Aaron looked at the door team CRDL disappeared through.

"They were worse last semester," Ruby continued. "The things they were doing to Velvet…I'd rather not think about it. Seeing them going at it again, after what I've seen and been through, I snapped. I got up in their faces and let them have it. It took everything I had not to put them through a wall or two." Ruby grimaced. "But even after everything they've done, I'd still rather have them around than the Nevermores."

"Someone was going to fight them, one way or the other," Blake finally spoke up. "Pyrrha just beat me to it." She picked up the book she brought with her and opened it.

"I have a feeling each of us would have gone after at least one of them." Yang crossed her arms. "With all they've done, I'm surprised they haven't been expelled, or at least suspended. No one would shed a tear if they left."

There was silence in the team for a few minutes. Across the room, Aaron noticed two of the three that he literally ran into back when they first decided to go after the White Fang. They hadn't been around much, and every time Ruby, Aaron, or Yang tried to get close to them, they quickly walked away. Aaron couldn't shake the feeling that those two were hiding something other than Emerald being a pickpocket.

"Here we go." Ruby leaned forward in her seat. Aaron looked down into the ring and saw team CRDL walking in. Directly across from them, Pyrrha strode onto the stage. All the guys were bigger than her, but size didn't matter if they didn't have the skill to back it up.

The lights in the room dimmed, and the crowd silenced. Pyrrha charged the other team. She took a few swipes at Cardin first, who failed to move his mace in to block. Pyrrha quickly moved to attack Dove, who actually managed to block a few strikes. The last two the warrior hadn't touched soon had their legs cut out from under them. Pyrrha backed off a little, letting the opposing team regain some of their negligible composure.

The rest of the fight went in a similar fashion. Pyrrha was as adept at using her shield as a weapon as her spear. No member of team CRDL managed to land a hit on her. Their coordination was nonexistent past the first few exchanges. While Pyrrha had difficulty managing to hit her opponents with Dust rounds, she didn't need to. She was so fast with her spear and shield, she didn't need to rely on ranged combat.

Eventually, the guys fell to the floor and didn't get up. Sky and Russel were the first to fall. Dove was taken out by Cardin toward the end. Aaron couldn't tell if that backswing was intentional or not. Either way, Cardin soon got what was coming to him. Pyrrha tossed the bully into the air, then slammed him back into the ground.

The lights turned back to full brightness and Pyrrha stood tall in victory. Goodwitch walked back onto the stage. "And that's the match," she said.

Cardin looked up from the floor and groaned, "Lucky shot." He then fell to the ground.

"He got what was coming to him," Ruby mumbled. The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Aaron looked down at the four guys strewn across the floor. He wasn't sure if team CRDL was that bad for not getting one solid hit in, or if Pyrrha was that good, or both.

"Well done miss Nikos," Goodwitch said as she turned to Pyrrha. "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

Pyrrha nodded and smiled. "Thank you professor."

Goodwitch turned back to her tablet. "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" She turned to where team RWBY was sitting. "Mister Benson or Miss Belladonna?" Blake quickly looked up and closed her book. "You two have been rather docile for the past few classes. Perhaps one of you-"

"I'll do it," a voice said from across the room. Aaron looked over and saw one of the new students on his feet.

Goodwitch straightened her glasses. "Mercury, is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent."

"Actually," Mercury interrupted, "I want to fight, her." He pointed right at Pyrrha.

The warrior woman recoiled slightly. "Me?"

"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match," Goodwitch cut in, "I'd recommend you choose another partner."

"No, it's fine," Pyrrha insisted. She looked up at Mercury. "I'd be happy to oblige."

Professor Goodwitch nodded. "Very well. You both have five minutes to prepare." Again, she left the stage. Blake sighed, and reopened her book.

"This'll be a fun match," Ruby said, back to her normal self. "Never seen Mercury fight before."

"If he's competing in the tournament, this will be the perfect opportunity to observe him," Weiss stated. "He won't be able to hold back if he wants to beat Pyrrha."

"Even then he'll still get creamed." Yang crossed her arms. "Was he even paying attention to what she just did?"

Aaron stayed out of the conversation. He was thinking about why Mercury would want to fight Pyrrha. She was a world renowned fighter. Aaron wasn't sure if he could beat her, not that he'd ever admit it. There was something else in play. Then again, Mercury might just be sizing up Pyrrha for the tournament. Weiss had discussed doing the same several times.

A few minutes later, Mercury entered the stage. The lights dimmed again, and the gray haired guy started circling Pyrrha. After a few seconds, he ran at Pyrrha and launched a kick that was easily blocked. Mercury kicked himself away and did several backflips to get away.

The opponents stared at each other for a few seconds, then Pyrrha charged. Mercury blocked the spear with a kick, then threw another. Soon after, gunshots came from his greaves. Pyrrha still managed to push Mercury away with her shield. Still, there was something in his body language that was unsettling to Aaron.

"He's doing pretty good," Ruby complimented. Back on the floor, Mercury launched another series of kicks, and actually managed to knock Pyrrha's spear out of her hand. He launched another kick, which didn't even make contact with Pyrrha's shield. His momentum forced him off balance and to his knees.

Pyrrha retrieved her spear and rushed Mercury again. The guy kicked off Pyrrha's shield and launched himself far away from his opponent. As the warrior woman charged again, Mercury turned back to Professor Goodwitch. "I forfeit," he said calmly. Pyrrha ran slightly past the guy.

"You don't even want to try?" she asked, clearly surprised.

Back in the stands, Aaron wasn't. That match confirmed his suspisions. Mercury was in fact sizing Pyrrha up. Aaron had done the same with Ruby and Yang when first sparring with them, and had seen other Riders do it to each other on Vroengard.. Still, they always finished the fight. It was the honorable thing to do. Mercury took the coward's way out. After a little more conversation on the floor, the combatants separated and left the stage.

The end of class bell rang and Blake sat straight up. "That is all for today," Goodwitch called from the floor. "And remember the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses." She turned around and left the room through a staff door.

Aaron stood up. "Well, you girls have fun in your search. I've got to get to Oobleck's."

"Good luck keeping up with him," Yang said.

"Hopefully we'll have some good news when we get back," Weiss added.

Aaron left the amphitheater, and his normal path brought him right by Emerald. As always, she avoided eye contact and walked away. That was nothing new. Yang once said that Emerald might have a 'crush' on Aaron, but he quickly discounted it. He thought he could tell when a girl liked him. Several first and second year girls blushed and talked quickly to their friends when he looked their way. Emerald did neither. _You think she could know that I got her at some point?_ Aaron asked Nalia.

_I don't know how, but it is a possibility,_ his dragon responded.

_What isn't a possibility here? People can do strange things here and it's considered normal._

_We can do things that are strange here as well._

Aaron sighed._ Sometimes I wish I was just a normal guy, then I realize that you wouldn't be there._

Nalia huffed._ I believe that's what Yang calls 'smooth.'_

* * *

POV: Ruby

After several hours of searching, Ruby and Cerise landed in the courtyard in front of the Dragonhouse. Against all hopes nobody found anything. It didn't help that Blake stayed behind either. She left for the library after Weiss and Yang said that they were for sure planning the rest of the dance, and never came back. Since the search wasn't an actual mission, Ruby couldn't order Blake to come along, not that she would anyway.

Ruby took out her scroll and looked at the time. "8:30…Ugh, this isn't going to work for long if we always come back so drained."

_That was without fighting any Grimm as well,_ Cerise added. _I doubt we will always be that lucky. _

"It doesn't look like the beeping was the battery dying either." About halfway through the flight, Ruby heard an incessant beeping noise that stayed until Cerise flew back over the city. That broke her concentration while searching more than anything else.

_It could be your fake eye. It could be running low on power._

"Wouldn't it still be beeping now?" Ruby sighed. "Whatever, I'll go meet up with the others, then I'll be back with you for the night."

_Don't rush yourself._ Cerise walked back toward the Dragonhouse and Ruby headed to her dorm. Everyone else on a search team was already gathered outside.

"So we found nothing," Ruby stated as she approached.

Yang shook her head. "Nothing. I guess we can't always find an egg under a tree."

"How about we wait until Christmas, and then look again!" Nora cheered, trying to lighten the mood.

"We don't have that long to wait." Ruby crossed her arms. "Then again, we did only cover a small area today, considering how much is mapped out. We could still find at least a clue."

"We have the rest of this week to look before we have to go on our missions," Weiss said. "That's plenty of time to look around."

"Hey Weiss," Jaune began, "think you could check shipping records, for SDC or other companies?"

The heiress looked at Jaune. "How would you think of that?"

Jaune shrugged. "It's on TV a lot. There has to be something in it if so many shows use it."

Weiss stared off into the distance. "It is possible to track things like that, but I'd only have access to SDC's. I'm on shaky ground after getting information on…something else I really shouldn't have been looking into. Other companies only share that information if there's a warrant or court order."

"It was a good idea," Pyrrha acknowledged. Jaune shrugged in response.

Ruby sighed. "Thanks for all your help today. Same time tomorrow?" There were nods of agreement all around. They all entered the dorm and walked toward their rooms. As Ruby walked by her team's mailbox, she saw something inside through the small window. She opened it up and took out a small note. Apparently a package had arrived for her.

A wide smile broke out on Ruby's face. She ran over to the residence hall's mailroom as quickly as she could without using her Semblance. She slammed the note down on the desk. "I have a package to pick up," she spewed out.

The resident assistant on duty raised his eyebrows. "Okay there, speedy, I'm going to need to see your ID." Ruby quickly took out her scroll and set it down next to the note. The RA took it and scanned it. He then looked at a something behind the desk. "Looks like you've got two, actually. I'll go grab them while you sign them out." The RA put a sheet of paper and a pen in front of Ruby, then he walked into another room.

"What's the rush, Ruby?" Yang asked. Ruby turned around and saw her sister walk into the mailroom. "Got a secret life you don't want me knowing about?"

"Remember that thing I've been working on for a few weeks now?" Ruby intentionally placed her natural hand on top of her bionic one. Yang's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little. "All that should help me get it done."

A smile slowly worked its way onto Yang's face. "Bout time you've made progress on that. Just don't completely disappear again."

"As long as it's done before the dance and our mission. I'd prefer not to go out without it."

The RA walked back into view carrying two large boxes. He set them down on the counter and grabbed the paper from Ruby. "Here you go," he looked down at the paper, "Ruby. Man, a semester and a month in and I'm still learning people's names."

Ruby smiled and took her boxes. "Let's be honest, is there anyone besides Ozpin that's good with names?" All three people in the room laughed at that, then the sisters left.

Yang took off the top box so Ruby could actually see where she was walking. "So where to?" she asked.

"Well, since I'll mostly be working on this at night, not the Dragonhouse. Aaron's an early to bed, early to rise kind of guy, and this would make too much noise."

"Student workshops it is." The sisters walked out of their dorm and into the fresh night air. There wasn't a breath of wind nor a cloud in the sky. It made searching easier, and flying with Cerise enjoyable. The only thing keeping Ruby from insisting on a late night flight with her dragon was her chafing thighs. It was even a problem on her mostly bionic leg. She_ really_ needed to look up better ways to prevent it. Extra padding did _not_ help at all.

Yang opened their team's workshop door and held it open for her more encumbered sister. Ruby set her box down on the workbench, making a loud thud. "Thanks for the help, Yang," she said.

"Anytime." Yang laid her box down next to the other two. "Need anything else tonight?"

Ruby thought it over for a second. "Don't tell the others about this. I want to see the looks on their faces when I show up to the dance with 'skin' on my arm."

"Will do. See you when you finally get to the Dragonhouse." Yang left the workshop and closed the door behind her. Ruby turned back to her new supplies and smiled even more. She grabbed a utility knife and opened up the first box. Inside, a large piece of cloth lay folded up. Ruby took it out and looked it over. In hopefully less than a week, that piece of cloth would become her new skin. It was a little weird to think about it like that, but it was true. A bunch of mechanical parts sat at the bottom of the box. Those would be her new nervous system. The other box must have had the chemicals to make the cloth look and feel like skin.

Ruby smiled and called back the schematics and instructions that Penny sent her. She immediately got to work, measuring the exact dimensions of her arm. Cerise sent her own excitement and happiness to her Rider as well. For once, things were going according to plan.

* * *

**Shoehorned movie references (ding!). Birthday song reference that only a few hundred people in the world will get (ding!).**

**Also, I am not going to have Gray team go on the same mission as team RWBAY. They will have their own mission which will end up going even worse than team RWBAY's mission.**


	25. Different Kinds of Dancing

**Sorry about not updating in a while. Oh well. Here we go.**

* * *

Sunday, October 11

POV: Ruby

Ruby ceased the flow of energy as the last new scale on Cerise' belly formed. After several hours of work, almost all of the holes in the dragon's scale coat were filled. Cerise hummed and nuzzled Ruby's face. _Thank you, my Gem,_ she said.

"I'm not done yet," Ruby breathed. "I still have to get your leg."

_You have done more than enough for today. You're exhausted, and you have the dance tonight. You need to look your best._

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking forward to those heels. Whoever came up with them had no idea what they were doing."

Cerise hummed happily. _You know that's not what I meant._ Ruby couldn't hold back a smile. After nearly a week of tinkering and testing, she finally thought that her new skin for her bionic limbs were ready to be 'worn.' Even if the nervous system didn't work, she wouldn't have to worry about wearing those gloves anymore.

The only other person to know about the skin was Yang, and even she didn't know it was ready. Earlier in the week, Ruby borrowed a full sleeved dress from Weiss to help with the cover-up. The heiress wanted to have the dress fit for Ruby, but was turned down. It would have only been worn once before it was handed back. White wasn't exactly Ruby's color anyway. She felt kind of guilty for borrowing it and not using it, but at the same time, she only did so in case her skin wasn't ready.

"Well in that case, I should probably start getting ready then." Ruby rubbed Cerise' snout then walked out of the Dragonhouse. She struggled not to sprint across campus to her workshop. As much as she wanted to put the new skin on, she still didn't want to draw attention to herself. Having someone check on her while she was folding the skin around her arm or leg would blow the whole thing, in more ways than one.

As Ruby neared her workshop, she saw Sun and Neptune walking out of the cafeteria. She thought back to after the last sparring class and how Blake turned Sun down for the dance. That was the start of Blake's complete downward spiral. She didn't disappear completely like Aaron did, though she rarely spoke to her teammates and skipped several classes. Yang said she could get her partner to the dance, but Ruby doubted it. Then again, she did snap Aaron out of his funk, and she had no plan going in.

Ruby opened the door to her team's workshop and hurried to pick up the box that contained her new skin. As an afterthought, she locked the door behind her. Then she opened the box, and she carefully removed the portion that would wrap around her arm and hand.

As cool as it was, Ruby was extremely uncomfortable handling the skin. After days of marinating in various chemicals, the cloth gained the exact look, feel, and consistency of human skin. She was never the best at chemistry, so didn't exactly know how it worked. Then again, if it worked for Penny, it worked for her.

Ruby set the large piece of skin on the workbench with the inside up. She looked over the circuitry to see if there were any breaks. While the outside looked natural, the inside looked like a large, flexible circuit board. The entire surface was covered with wires, nodes, and other assorted electronic components. It was designed to take a pounding, and would only fully tear if intentionally cut. Still, she wasn't expecting to be in an Auraless and wardless sword fight anytime soon. Looking back, she realized it was the other side of this part she saw in the cuts in Penny's skin.

She turned her attention to the only part that was fully her design; the connection to where skin met bionic arm. Ruby studied every single attempt to incorporate a nervous system into a bionic limb inside and out. Some didn't do anything other than add weight to the limb. Others though did make the recipient feel something. Unfortunately, that something was excruciating pain, as if they were losing the limb all over again, only all over the new limb. In the end, Ruby decided to take elements of several connections and make her own. The rest of the system should work as it's turned on.

_You ready if needed Cerise?_ Ruby asked.

Cerise mind flowed into Ruby's. _I'm here. If the worst happens, you won't be in pain for long._ The day before, the two of them had practiced Cerise taking control of Ruby's natural arm to kill the power on her bionic one. Even though it was Cerise, Ruby didn't like feeling her arm move by someone else's command. It wasn't natural. Still, it was better than the alternative.

Ruby took her gloves off and rolled up her right sleeve. She picked up the first connecting piece on her new skin and held it above the correct slot on her arm. Even though there shouldn't be any power in the slot, there was the possibility she did something wrong and it would be active right away. She held her breath and counted to three, then gently connected arm and skin. There was a light click, but no pain shot up her arm. Ruby released her breath, then started wrapping the rest of the skin around her arm.

The process was delicate work. The folds around her all the joints were difficult to get right. Wrapping her fingers was an incredible time sink. A few of them she had to try multiple times. The fact that she was doing it all with one hand didn't help. Ruby thought she should have asked Yang to help, but it was too late for that. Weiss and she were already making the final preparations for the dance.

After she didn't know how long, Ruby held her right arm out in front of her. It looked real enough, if a bit crumpled in places. She flexed her arm several times, testing if there were any spots that were too tight and needed to be adjusted. The crumpled areas actually fixed themselves as the tight areas pulled excess material from where there was too much. Most people wouldn't notice the difference. Only if someone really examined it would they be able to see something was wrong. Probably Coco from a distance too.

Finally, Ruby turned her eyes to the newly expanded control panel on her arm. There were two new buttons, the power on and off for the nervous system. _The moment of truth,_ Ruby thought. Cerise once again flooded her Rider's mind with her own. Still, Ruby tensed up and closed an eye while she reached for the on button. She held her breath as she pushed the power on…

…and felt nothing. No pain, no other feelings. Ruby sighed as she closed the small hatch covering the control panel. Then she snapped her eyes back open and stared at her hand. "Was that…" She stared at her hand, then blew a small puff of air at it. A huge smile broke out on her face. She felt it. She actually _felt _it.

Ruby moved her arm through the air, feeling the air flow by. She increased the speed, and ended up spinning in a circle in the center of the workshop. In a state of pure ecstasy, Ruby laughed and jumped around the workshop. She ran both her hands through her hair, taking an extra-long with her right. Not exactly knowing what she was doing, she set her right hand down on the workbench, picked up a hammer, and slammed it down on her hand. That was the first time Ruby has happy to be in pain.

When she finally calmed down, Ruby sat down in a chair and held her head in her hands. "I did it," she whispered. "I really did it."

Cerise hummed over their mental link. _You are becoming whole again, my Gem. Just don't forget about your leg._

Ruby blinked, then looked down at her bionic leg under her tights. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, then rolled up the pant leg and took off her shoe and sock. From there she repeated the process she used on her arm. Since she had use of both hands this time, the work flew by.

When her leg and foot were all covered, Ruby again braced for pain when she hit the on button, but it never came. She ran her newly covered hand over her leg, and she nearly exploded out of her chair. While her excitement wasn't as full force as before, it was still a breath of fresh air.

Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. "Normal knees again." Ruby rolled her sleeve and pant leg back down. She replaced her footwear and picked up the gloves from the workbench and stared at them. They weren't needed anymore. They could be thrown away. Then again, Ruby planned on surprising her team at the dance. She put the gloves back on for hopefully the last time, then left the workshop.

A message appeared in the top right corner of her vision. _Two hours until dance?_ She thought in disbelief. _How long was I in there?_

_Quite a while,_ Cerise said, her own happiness flowing off her like a river._ You have time._

_Good thing I'm not as obsessed with makeup as Weiss._ As Ruby walked across campus, she had to fight to keep a smile off her face. Even though her bionic limbs were covered, she felt the wind on them through her clothes. She shivered ever so slightly, but not from the cold.

Ruby returned to her dorm room and dramatically opened her wardrobe. She stared up and down her red and gray dress. Her eyes traveled to the bottom and her shoulders slumped. "Heels make everything worse…"

* * *

POV: Aaron

"Nalia, are you sure this is right?" Aaron asked his dragon as he adjusted his tie. "This thing's practically choking me."

_The woman at the store said that this suit fits perfectly on you,_ Nalia responded. _If I were a human woman, I'd say you look very handsome._

Aaron looked up at his dragon with slightly narrowed eyes. "Don't be creepy." Nalia huffed, but didn't say anything else. "I'd better get going. Don't want to be late."

_Have fun. Don't break a leg._

"Ha, ha." Aaron left the Dragonhouse and started walking toward the ballroom. Back in Alagaësia, he never had the chance to attend a ball or a dance of any kind. Everyone he knew who had been to one though said they were amazing. Still, Aaron didn't exactly know how to dance. He might just be standing by the wall for most of the time.

As Aaron neared the ballroom, he saw Ruby stumbling in the same direction. If he didn't know any better, he's say Ruby was drunk. "Need a hand?" Aaron called.

Ruby turned back to face him and smiled. "I'm good. I already have one." She held up her right hand and waved. Aaron chuckled. If they were alone, Ruby would have taken that arm off and waved it with her left hand.

Aaron walked over to Ruby, and he looked at Ruby's right arm. It looked normal. He shook his head, figuring it was just the light from the light poles playing tricks on him. As he got closer though, he saw that was not the case. Her arm was wrapped in something that looked exactly like human skin. "Uh, Ruby, when did that happen?" Aaron pointed at Ruby's right arm.

The younger Rider's smile grew. "Three hours ago. Took me all week, but I did it." Ruby's smile grew even more. "It works, too. I can feel again."

Aaron drew a sharp breath in. "How is that possible?"

Ruby smirked. "My little secret." She turned around on a heel, or tried to anyway. She lost her balance and started to fall over. Aaron caught her though before she could fall far.

"You feeling okay Ruby?" Aaron asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, it's just these heels." Ruby lifted up and turned her left foot. A long stick stuck out of the heel of the shoe.

"That doesn't look safe." Aaron stared at the stick, trying to figure out why anyone would wear a shoe like that.

"I know! Right?" Ruby freed herself from Aaron's arms. "I don't know why these are a thing, but people love them!"

"Well then," Aaron stuck his right arm out at an angle with his fist on a hip, "would you like some help balancing?"

Ruby blinked a few times and blushed in the moonlight. "Oh, umm, sure." She looped her left arm through Aaron's and the two continued to the dance together.

"I saw what you did for Cerise. That was some nice work."

"I ran out of time to get to her leg though. Then again, if I went on, I'd probably be in bed right now. That was exhausting. How long does it take for magic to get easier?"

"You only started a month and a half ago. It normally takes about six for a Rider to get comfortable with it. You've got a long way to go." Ruby made a grumbling noise but she still had a smile on her face.

Aaron pulled open the door to the ballroom and the two Riders stepped inside. Yang was standing behind a podium and was wearing a white dress. Her hair was still as messy as ever. The blonde looked up and her eyes settled on her sister. Her face lit up. "Oh, you look beautiful!" she squealed. Finally, Yang noticed Aaron, and her eyes drifted to where the other two Riders' arms were intertwined. Her eyes drifted again to Ruby's right arm and her eyes grew wide. Yang looked back at Ruby's face, who just smiled and nodded. "Is there something going on here?"

"The only thing going on is these heels." Ruby lifted a foot off the ground and fell into Aaron's side. "Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Yang burst out laughing, but at what part, Aaron couldn't tell.

"Your guess is as good as mine, sis," Yang finally got out. "You're going to have to explain that to me later though." She pointed at Ruby's right arm.

"I believe I owe all of you that explanation." Ruby freed her arm from Aaron's and she stumbled all the way over to the punch bowl. Aaron watched her go, if only to make sure she didn't fall flat on her face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yang staring at him. Aaron turned back to the blonde. "Is there something wrong?"

"Were you just escorting Ruby, or are you two here together?"

Aaron paused of a second, unsure of how to answer. "I just saw her stumbling outside and I offered her some support. It's as simple as that."

Yang blinked, then smiled. "I'm always forgetting that you pretty much live by chivalry. Carry on and have some fun." Aaron nodded and walked over to where the food was. Not surprisingly, Ruby was also over there. As Aaron approached though, he felt Yang's eyes boring into the back of his head.

As Aaron reached the food table, he heard the main doors open up again. He saw Blake and Sun walk in, her arm on his. Yang had another small freak-out session, then took Blake's other arm. The two girls made their way to the dance floor, and started their own dance, different from literally everyone else in the room.

"Looks like Yang did it," Ruby said by Aaron's side.

"Do two women usually dance together here?" he asked while scratching his head. "I never heard of such a thing back in Alagaësia."

"Eh, here and back home, people, for the most part, don't give a shit what gender someone is. Most people just care about knowing something about who the other person is." Percy said, startling both of them for a second. Looking around, Aaron could see the rest of Percy's team scattered across the room in positions that would allow them to easily react to a threat with extreme efficiency, while not leaving them looking out of place.

"How do you do that?" Ruby asked.

"I was trained by an intelligence organization that can manage to hide a five-and-a-half-kilometer long warship. I know how to sneak up on someone." He replied.

"Ruby Rose!" Aaron heard Weiss yell off to the side. He turned to see the steaming heiress storm over to him and Ruby. "You asked to borrow a dress of mine, so where…is…it?" Weiss slowed down and her eyes grew wide, most likely looking at Ruby's right arm.

"Sorry Weiss." Ruby scratched behind her head with her right hand. "You were right. I should have gotten it fitted correctly."

Weiss stayed silent for a few seconds. "And that?" She pointed roughly at Ruby's arm.

Ruby smiled. "I promise I'll explain everything when we all get back to the room."

The heiress hesitated and smiled. "Well, at least you found something that fit well."

Soon after, Yang joined her other teammates by the punch bowl. All four of them looked at Blake and Sun dancing. For the first time in a long time, Aaron saw a genuine smile on Blake's face.

"I told you she would come," Yang said.

"Mission accomplished," Weiss agreed.

"It looks like the team is back to full strength." Aaron looked at the girls around him, then back at Blake. It had been slightly less than two weeks since they went after the White Fang, but it all felt so much longer.

"So…what do we do now?" Ruby asked while looking back and forth between her teammates.

"Just have fun!" Yang said before walking back to her podium. Weiss also turned and walked away.

Ruby turned frantically between the two. "Does this mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" She looked down and groaned. "Stupid lady stilts…"

Aaron lightly chuckled at Ruby, then felt Nalia press against his mind. _Ask her to dance,_ she said.

_Wait, what?_ Aaron turned to look in the general direction of his dragon.

_Ask her to dance._ Nalia had a mischievous feel to her thoughts.

_First Yang, now you? What's going on here?_

Nalia mentally hummed. _You may not have noticed it, but you've had a feeling in the back of your head since we rescued Violet. It's only grown since she refused payment from taking out the Nevermores' base._

Aaron messed up his face as he stared at the wall. _Are you saying I have feelings for Ruby? She's my student._

_Why else would you tell her __**everything**__ on that balcony? You barely even admit any of that to me._ Aaron blinked a few times then turned back to Ruby. Since he started his conversation with Nalia, Professor Ozpin had snuck in and started a conversation with Ruby. Aaron searched his own head for the feeling that Nalia spoke about. Ruby was smart, funny, and, he had to admit, cute. Still, she was his student from the day they officially met. That kind of relationship was forbidden back on Vroengard. Then again, theirs wasn't a master and apprentice relationship, and the old rules didn't completely apply anymore.

Aaron sighed and shook his head. _Fine, but only to get you off my back._ He hung back while the other two finished their conversation. When Ozpin left, Aaron took his place by Ruby's side. He stuck a hand out like he had seen so many other people do. "Ruby, may I have this dance?"

Ruby looked up at Aaron with a mixture of confusion and fear. "Um, what?"

"I asked if you would like to dance. That's what you do at these things, right?"

Ruby blushed and rapidly looked between Aaron and presumably where Cerise lay. "But...I can't dance…"

"I'll lead." The truth was, he didn't know how to dance either. Aaron just watched everyone else in the room and how they moved. He hoped he could at least replicate it.

"It's a slow dance" Ruby looked back to the floor. Her head sunk in between her shoulders.

"I know." Aaron didn't know the significance of a 'slow' dance compared to a fast one though.

Ruby looked back up at Aaron, a nervous smile on her face. "Heels?" Her voice was even more higher pitched than normal.

A corner of Aaron's mouth rose. "I won't let you fall."

The red Rider blushed even more and turned toward Cerise again. After a few seconds, she faced Aaron again and nodded. Ruby hesitantly took the other Rider's hand. The two of them made their way out onto the dance floor. They found an empty spot on the dance floor and joined in with the rest of the students. Even as Ruby took her first steps in the dance, she looked extremely uncertain on whether it was a good idea to be dancing.

Aaron was in a similar boat. While he tried to keep a smile on his face, inside he was worried about not making a fool of himself. _One, two, three. One, two, three. Step, in, time. Don't-step, on, her-feet._ As the two Riders slowly danced in a circle, Aaron looked and listened around. People were having conversations while dancing, so Aaron decided to strike one up. "You do something with your hair?" he asked.

Ruby blinked and blushed again. "Uh, yeah. I accented the red before I came here. It's not too much is it?"

"I kind of like it." Ruby's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, then she lost her balance. She started to fall backwards, but Aaron caught her just in time. He belatedly realized that their position made the fall look like and intentional dip. Aaron pulled Ruby back to her feet and smiled. "Told you I wouldn't let you fall."

"Thanks." Ruby smiled again but her cheeks turned even more red, most likely from embarrassment that time though. "How many times have you done this before? You're doing too good for a first timer."

Aaron gently shrugged while still keeping in rhythm. "This is a first time for me actually. Never danced with anyone before."

Ruby blinked. "You're lying. There's no way you can be this steady right away."

"If you haven't noticed, you're keeping up really well too." The two Riders continued their dance until the music stopped. From there, they left the dance floor and returned to their places by the punch bowl. They stood awkwardly by each other's side while the next song played.

"Uh, I'm going to go find a bathroom," Ruby mumbled, then walked away, only stumbling a little in her stick heels.

Aaron sighed, then turned his head toward the Dragonhouse. _Happy now?_ he shot at Nalia.

_Are you?_ Nalia sent back with more than a hint of amusement in her voice.

_Well, yeah, but, since when do dragons play matchmaker for their Riders?_

_Well, when our Riders like someone and we approve…_

_Nalia, please drop it._ Aaron pulled back into his own head, then realized at some point Yang showed up by his side. "Can I help you with something?'

Yang crossed her arms. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?" She asked with a neutral face.

Aaron narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The other Rider rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you and Ruby becoming more than just friends?"

Aaron stood silent for a second. "I thought you called this a 'dance,' and I figured you should dance at a dance. How was that any different from when you and Blake danced?"

"Because everyone knows Blake likes Sun, and Ruby is my baby sister. If anyone gets that close to her, I need to protect her."

Aaron chose his words wisely, and decided to say them in the Ancient Language to remove any doubt from Yang's mind. _"There is nothing going on between me and Ruby."_

Yang's face stayed blank for another few seconds, processing the words. Then a small smile formed on her face. "Good, cause if there was, we would have to have a conversation you wouldn't enjoy."

"I don't doubt that." Aaron turned his attention back to the dance floor, yet Ruby's smile was stuck in his head.

* * *

POV: Ruby

Ruby's knees were shaking as she stood on the balcony overlooking the dance floor. _That was…different,_ she told her dragon for the umpteenth time.

_Was is a good different?_ Cerise asked.

_I…I don't know._ Ruby's mind went back to Aaron and her dance. It was so sudden. She just finished telling Ozpin that she wasn't a dancey kind of girl, then Aaron comes out of nowhere and asked her to dance. He was insistent too. Couldn't he tell that she didn't want to dance? What was that about Ruby being Aaron's first dance partner? Did that mean something in Alagaësia?

_Admit it, you enjoyed it._ Cerise sent her amusement to her Rider.

_Be quiet, will you? I'm already going to have to deal with Yang._ Ruby turned her head to the left and saw her sister and Aaron walking over to her. _Speaking of which…_

"There you are," Yang said. "How was your dance?"

Ruby sighed. "Okay, I guess? I don't really have anything to compare it to." The three teammates looked out over the dance floor.

"Y'know, I think we really needed this," Yang said.

"Some of us more than others," Aaron agreed.

"Damn right." Yet again, they were startled by a member of Gray team, this time David. Instead of responding, they simply rolled their eyes.

"You did a great job planning it, too." Ruby said while watching Penny start a dance of her own.

Yang smiled and put an arm around her sister's neck. She pulled Ruby in close for a choke hold. Ruby flailed her arms trying to get free. "Aw, thanks. It wasn't all me though, Weiss did a lot too."

Ruby stopped flailing around and looked back down to the floor. Weiss was sitting alone until Neptune walked over to her. His body language said he was nervous, but he still took a seat beside Weiss.

Yang released her sister and sighed. "Tomorrow it's back to work."

"The official mission and our two side missions," Aaron started. "This week is going to be busy."

"Well, I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby heard a lot of laughter coming from below her. She looked over the railing and saw Jaune in a white dress making his way onto the dance floor. "Except for that."

"That brings back memories," Aaron mumbled.

Both sisters turned to look at the guy. "Don't tell me you wore a dress at one point," Yang said, barely keeping a straight face.

Aaron scratched the back of his head. "I lost a bet. Had to wear one for an entire day."

There was silence between the three for a few seconds, then Ruby, Yang, and David burst out laughing. "I wish I could have seen that," Yang managed to get out.

"You'd make it look good," Ruby said while covering her mouth.

Aaron's cheeks turned red, then his head snapped around and his eyes went blank. "Sorry girls, but I've got to go," he stated in his 'I mean business' voice. He turned around and quickly walked toward the doors.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, concerned. She stretched her mind out in the direction Aaron looked. It didn't take her long to find the one panicked hiker.

_Stay out of this one you two,_ Nalia cut in. _Aaron and I can handle this. No reason to over commit._

Ruby sighed and Yang curled her fingers into fists. "Yang, what's wrong?" Ruby asked. "They've got this."

"Last time Nalia told me she didn't need backup…" Yang looked at her sister with sad eyes.

Ruby put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Yang, where they're from, they're professionals. At this point, I'd trust their experience over my own. If they say they can handle it, they can." She paused. "We didn't know about the combat Bullheads that day. The guy out there now is being chased by Grimm, not people."

"Why is he out there alone anyway?" Yang leaned down on the railing.

"Beats me." Ruby backed away from her sister. "I'm going to get some fresh air." Just as she was backing away from the railing, she saw team JNPR start a combined dance on the floor. Ruby walked down the stairs and out into the courtyard outside the ballroom.

The outline of an envelope appeared in the top right corner of her vision. Ruby blinked to open it, and a text message from Penny displayed on her right eye. 'I saw you were able to make the skin. Is the rest working for you?'

Ruby smiled and looked around herself. "So far, everything's working fine," she whispered. The words appeared under Penny's message. "Send." The messages disappeared and the words 'message sent' took their place.

Motion on the roofs of the buildings across from Ruby caught her eye. There was someone running and jumping across rooftops. That couldn't be good. It wasn't common for people to report stolen items at Beacon, but it wasn't unheard of.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at where the suspect disappeared behind a roof. That person could very well be the egg thief, or know who it is. _Cerise, I'm going to check something out._

Cerise sent her concern through her thoughts. _Be careful, Ruby._

_Don't worry, I'm sure I can take one person._ Ruby walked in the general direction of the thief. She had to walk around a few buildings, but she more or less made it a straight line. Hesitantly, she stretched her mind out to try and figure out where exactly the person was. Unfortunately, she didn't exactly know what to look for since every person's mind was different.

One though, stood out. Instead of it being open like the rest, it was walled off. The way it was done though was foreign to Ruby. Yang's defenses only allowed the attacker to see an image of Zwei, while Aaron's was one of Nalia's scales. The dragons' minds felt completely different no matter if they were defended or not. This wall was nothing but darkness. There was someone else at Beacon who could shield their mind.

With this in mind, Ruby creeped around even more cautiously. She was prepared to bring up her own mental defenses at a moment's notice. The base of the CCT tower came into view as she walked around another corner. Inside, other people were losing consciousness in one way or another. The shielded mind was in the center. Ruby gasped as she saw armed guards lying on the ground. She pulled out her scroll and punched in the code to bring Crescent Rose to her location.

Her rocket locker crashed down a few seconds later. It popped open and Ruby grabbed her weapon. _Yang,_ she called,_ there's something going on out here, I may need backup._

Yang's response didn't take long. _Can you wait for me or someone else?_ she asked, concern evident in her thoughts.

Ruby winced as two more people lost consciousness. _I don't think so, I have to move now. _She extended Crescent Rose ran as fast as she could in her heels toward the tower. The lobby was littered with more guards. Ruby bit her lip as she called an elevator. Whoever did this was experienced. The young Rider didn't think she'd be able to take down a room full of guards and move on.

The elevator doors opened and two more guards lay on the floor. Ruby winced as she stepped in. She turned around and almost placed her own scroll against the ID scanner. It wouldn't work at that time. She bent down and searched on of the guards for his. "Sorry about this," Ruby said as she took the guard's scroll and placed it against the scanner. The elevator doors closed and the car moved up.

Ruby took several deep breaths as she moved up. _Don't think about last time,_ she thought to herself. _Think about what you know. It's only one person. Whoever it is, he or she can shield his or her mind. The only other one who can do that are on my team._ Slight dread overtook Ruby. _Could the egg have hatched for the thief?_

There wasn't time to dwell on it though. The doors opened and Ruby stepped out into the main communications room. "Hello?" she called. As she took a few steps forward, she tripped on her heels again. She scowled at them again, the continued scanning the room. "Is anyone there? Hello?" Of course, Ruby knew exactly where the intruder was. She was just trying to give whoever it was a chance to give up, not that her or she would take it.

A woman dressed completely in black stood up from behind the reception desk. She slowly walked out from behind it at stared at Ruby. "Excuse me," the Rider said, "You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-"

The woman grabbed a vial off her belt and swung it in front of her. The particles left behind condensed into glass. Ruby swung her scythe in front of her to block the glass as they became projectiles. She finished the spin by pointing the business end of her weapon at the intruder. Multiple Dust rounds shot out of Crescent Rose and at the intruder, but she blocked every single one with her hand. The intruder spun around and formed two short swords out of the glass.

Ruby fired Crescent Rose behind her and launched herself at the woman. Somehow, the attack missed as the intruder backflipped out of the way. Somewhere in the between the first and second flip, the woman's swords became a bow. She fired three explosive arrows at Ruby, who barely managed to get out of the way. Ruby dug the end of her scythe into the ground and stared at the intruder.

The Rider heard the elevator doors open behind her. She turned around to see General Ironwood step into the room. Ruby smiled, confident with the backup the intruder would be outmatched. But when she turned back to face her opponent, she was gone. No mental walls, or any minds besides Ironwood's.

_Ruby! What's going on up there?_ Yang called. _I could have sworn I heard gunshots._

_Has anyone left the building in the last few seconds? _Ruby sent back.

There was a moment of silence. _No one's left. You okay?_

Ruby sighed and folded up Crescent Rose. _I'm perfectly fine. General Ironwood is here now though. I don't think I'll be able to leave for a while._

Yang mentally sighed. _Okay. I'll fill the others in. Just don't say anything bad up there._

_I won't,_ Ruby promised, then contacted Cerise. _I don't suppose you know where she went._

Cerise mentally growled. _No. She disappeared from there and I can't place her anywhere else. She's gone._

There was a pause before Ruby spoke next. _Do you think the egg could have hatched for her?_

…_I don't know._

* * *

**Yes, yes, I know I didn't change much, but hey. You try finding something to change and be able to justify Cinder being able to escape when dealing with a Spartan.**


	26. AN Apologies

**Ok, I know you guys were hoping for a new chapter, but unfortunately, that's just not going to happen with this story. I know I've been bad about abandoning my stories in the past, _Ruby-B312 Fairies of the Shattered Moon_ and _The Biggest Shitstorm of a Life_ are proof enough of this. I regret to say that I am discontinuing _The Scales of Remnant._ I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but I just ran out of steam.**

**I have no intention of completely abandoning the idea, however, and I am currently working of a new story that will eventually come back to the idea behind _The Scales of Remnant_, but in a different way. My plan is for just Zach and Sakura, because having to remember to use all 8 of my "OC"s is just too much of a pain and one of the main issues I've had with this story, to be born on Earth and Remnant respectively, something happens while they are too young to remember anything, and they grow up in Earthland. They find a pair of eggs in the desert on the way back from a job, and come to find out, they are dragon eggs. Also, I'm altering events to say that Aaron and one other had left before Vroengard fell, but the other one was killed trying to defend the eggs he carried. The rider had used the last of his energy to get the two eggs he had left, the third having been destroyed in the fighting, away from the Forsworn and the king, which sends them to Remnant at the cost of his life. Because yeah, that guy would have rather died because he used too much energy than give the Forsworn another kill under their belt.**

**So, I'm not through with putting a wrench in people's plans. Not by a longshot. Just, having 8 additional characters on top of the base characters is way to much for me. I apologize for this, and I know that people are going to be upset with me for this no matter what I say, but know this. Doing this hurts me just as much if not more than it does for you.**


End file.
